


Days to Christmas

by TheGoldenGirl



Category: Servamp (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Advent Calendar, Christmas Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:41:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 25,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27805522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGoldenGirl/pseuds/TheGoldenGirl
Summary: It's a Servamp advent calendar!Featuring lots of oneshots full of tooth-rotting fluff and winter-themed shenanigans.Edit: Due to the unfortunate nature of 2020, only 19 of 25 stories got finished, but there's always next year!
Relationships: Arisuin Mikuni & Kamiya Tsurugi, Arisuin Mikuni/Jeje | Doubt Doubt, Arisuin Misono & Sendagaya Tetsu, Arisuin Misono & Snow Lily | All of Love, Hyde | Lawless/Licht Jekylland Todoroki, Kuro | Sleepy Ash & Shirota Mahiru, The Mother/Izuna Nobel
Comments: 55
Kudos: 29





	1. November 30th - First Snow

Night has long fallen when Lily calls Misono’s name all giddy and excited. It is the eve of December and temperatures have dropped low enough for the cold to creep past the mansion’s strong walls, so Misono is reluctant to get up from the couch he has curled up on in a warm little nest. Still, he follows his vampire’s voice, wrapping one of his blankets around him like a cape, figuring he will use his shivering as an excuse to demand some hugs from Lily. 

The hallways are basked in gloomy twilight as he makes his way to where he heard his vampire’s call, the weak lamps no match for the early winter night. With a scowl at nothing in particular he pulls the blankets closer. The winter time will always hold a special place in his heart, but those few days that the cold has set in and the old heaters struggle to keep up with the sudden demand for warmth are anything but nice. 

“Lily!” He demands, his mood worsening with every second away from the couch. “Where are you?”

“Over here!” Lily answers from behind the door right next to him. 

The room is dark as Misono enters, he can barely make out the familiar tall silhouette against the window at the back of the room. As Lily hears his Eve come in, he turns his head and the light from outside is just enough to illuminate his smile, cheerful and wide. 

“Misono!” He chirps, his voice so bubbly and bright he sounds like a small child about to be handed some sweets. “Hurry up, come here!” 

Misono obeys, and as he steps next to Lily he briefly presses himself into the vampire’s side. Lily follows the unspoken commands and pulls him close, flush against his body, and he really is nice and warm. Just what is needed right now. 

“Don’t fall asleep now,” Lily tells him, clearly amused at the sudden bout of sleepiness that seizes his Eve. “Look outside!” 

Reluctantly, Misono peels his eyes open to heed Lily’s wish. A soft gasp escapes him. 

Outside, over the frozen garden before them, the winter’s first snow gently floats down from the ink black sky. It is the kind of first snow from Christmas movies and children’s books, a flurry of thick, fuzzy snowflakes, gleaming so white they might as well be little fragments of stars raining down into their dark world. Lily’s hands wander over Misono’s shoulders in a thoughtful pattern, their owner deep in thought. 

“How lucky we are,” He muses. “It is the perfect time for a nice snowfall, don’t you agree? I think I’m getting into a Christmas mood already.” 

“You have been in a Christmas mood for weeks,” Misono tells him, and it’s supposed to be accusatory but comes out with too much laughter in his words to get the point across. It’s not like Lily is the only one. Christmas is a big deal in a house with as many children as theirs, and Misono hates to admit it but he tends to get swept up by everyone’s holiday mood way too easily. 

“I can’t help myself. You love it so much, how can I not feel the same?” Lily asks. Misono lightly slaps his arm for being cheesy. Lily giggles like a five-year-old on a sugar rush, and then, suddenly, there’s an excited jolt coursing through his body as though he just had a bright idea. 

“Imagine how wonderful Christmas time will be this year, Misono!” He says. “We have so many friends to spend it with now!” 

There’s a bright grin on his lips, and Misono knows he thinks of his brothers and the shenanigans he’ll force them into. Happiness is beautiful on the vampire, and so infectious that he, too, finds himself thinking of hanging up decorations together, of sharing cookies and building snowmen; all these things he loves and has been excited about for as long as he’s been alive. 

He doesn’t say anything out loud, and Lily doesn’t ask, well-aware of the direction in which his thoughts are straying. For a few minutes they just keep watching the snow making its merry way through the crisp winter air, silent as the world outside their window. A thin, glittering fluff is coating ground and trees already, and tomorrow it will certainly have turned into a soft blanket to cover the house and gardens. 

It looks familiar. Misono smiles as bittersweet memories come back to him. 

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Lily asks. His voice is so soft it barely disturbs the comfortable silence that has settled over them, and as Misono looks up he finds his Servamp watching him rather than the snow outside. He scoffs and looks away because he feels like saying something nice but can’t let the situation get too sappy. 

“You know I’ve always been fond of snow.” 


	2. December 1st - Sharing Scarves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 1st - Sharing Scarves, featuring Mahiru and Kuro

“What a beautiful morning,” Mahiru says. 

“Absolutely terrible,” Kuro says. “I don’t want to go outside.” 

Mahiru turns around to the bed he just leaped out of moments ago to throw open the curtains. He cannot help but smile. Even as the cat that Kuro prefers to turn into when sleeping to make the space they share less crowded he manages to look so terribly grumpy. It is hilarious to see a grumpy face on an adorable kitten writhing in the sheets of the bed that isn’t really only Mahiru’s anymore. 

“I hate to break it to you, but you have no choice!” Mahiru tells him and laughs at Kuro’s overly dramatic whine. “I have to go to school, and you will come along!”

Kuro peaks out from under the blankets long enough to get a look out of the window, at a city covered in a thick blanket of snow, gleaming and glittering a brilliant white even through the muddy darkness of an early winter morning. 

“Humans are so cruel!” He complains. “I am already cold! I’ll just become a cat popsicle… we have to stay inside… you can’t do this to me…” 

“Oh, you bet I can!” Mahiru interrupts him. “We even have to leave the house extra early to make it in time, so you better get your bum out of that bed! The sooner you get up, the more time you have for breakfast!”

And with that he leaves for the kitchen, well-aware that the promise of food will (probably) do the trick in getting his Servamp off his lazy butt. 

As he fills the water heater and pulls back the curtains to look out of the kitchen window, he turns up the radio and quietly hums along to the song it plays. It sounds faintly like Christmas, which reminds him that starting today it is officially December and he can start bringing out the Christmas decorations soon. Usually he likes to keep it simple, but then again he has a roommate this year who could use a bit of Christmas cheer, and many new friends to invite over for hot chocolate and home-baked cookies. A trip to the store might be in order. 

Kuro will think this all to be so troublesome, and gripe and complain as he puts up the decorations Mahiru will make him deal with. He chuckles at the thought. 

“What are you laughing about?” A hoarse voice asks from the kitchen entrance, still raspy with sleep, and a second later tired teenager Kuro slumps down at the kitchen table. Mahiru is not quite sure whether he actually managed to get dressed because the vampire has decided to kidnap the blanket of their bed and wrap it around himself to look like a sleepy cloud. On any other day Mahiru would tell him to bring it back immediately, but his vampire is shivering and also quite adorable. 

“How ridiculous you look,” Mahiru tells him while pouring tea. “Here, this will warm you up. Also I hope you’re wearing something under that because we have to leave in fifteen minutes.”

“What a pain,” Kuro groans as he clutches the cup of hot tea tight. “Doesn’t school get cancelled on snow days? Can’t they do that?”

“You lazy cat!” Mahiru ruffles through his hair and his vampire gives a surprised little noise somewhere between startled and pleased, not unlike what a kitten would sound like when suddenly petted. He is endlessly fond of that noise, and maybe this is why he is seized by a sudden rush of sympathy and foolishly asks “Don’t you like the cold, Kuro?” 

Kuro immediately takes the opportunity to send him the most pitiful expression of despair. 

“It’s going to kill me,” He declares. “I must be kept inside with lots of blankets and pillows or I’ll die.” 

“It’s not going to happen. I’m so sorry.”

“You’re not.”

“I am. A little bit.” 

Kuro sighs and buries his nose in the teacup, obviously preferring to bask in the drink's warmth instead of his Eve’s cold and cruel dismissal. 

Mahiru ruffles through his hair once more because it’s soft and he can’t stop himself sometimes, puts the dishes away and leaves to dig out his winter clothing. Maybe he’ll find a nice, warm coat to give Kuro as well; or at the very least an extra set of gloves and a scarf to make the cold a little less miserable for him. Uncle Tooru’s could fit him, he thinks, smiling at his own bright idea before digging into the closet of winter clothes. 

Instead of a cloak, he finds a scarf. A very long, thick, woollen winter scarf, made of soft yarn in a warm caramel colour. It looks selfmade, and smells familiar, of printer ink and ozone. It feels almost as soft and soothing as Kuro’s fur. 

A sudden idea in his mind, Mahiru grabs it and returns to the kitchen. 

Kuro has curled tightly into his blanket nest when he comes back, his tea drained and his face flat on the table. For a moment Mahiru thinks he’s maybe fallen back asleep, but when he touches his shoulder Kuro mumbles a very faint “I’m awake”. 

“Sure you are,” Mahiru says. “Come on, we need to leave!” 

Kuro groans, the kind of groan that makes it sound like he still has all the world to carry on his back, and when he stands up and leaves the blanket on the chair Mahiru can see he is actually shaking with cold. He thinks that maybe he should get his vampire to work out more, he once heard sitting around a lot makes for people who get chilly easily, but for today he has another plan. 

“Come on!” He says and leads the way into the hallway, where he wraps himself up in the nicely orange winter coat he got himself just last month (it keeps him warm and visible and is even Kuro-approved) and puts on a beanie. Once it’s firmly over his ears, Kuro gives up the last dregs of hope they might stay home after all, and turns into a little black cat with a pitiful mewl to jump up and secure his spot on Mahiru’s head. 

He smiles as he feels the little warm weight settle. 

“You’re going to sit somewhere else today,” He says. 

Kuro barely has the time to voice his surprise before Mahiru has grabbed him, both hands safely wrapping around the sleek little body to pluck him off the beanie and put him on his shoulder instead. 

“What’s this?” Kuro asks. 

“Just wait and sit still,” Mahiru tells him. 

Kuro follows his orders - ‘sit still’ is one of his favourites, probably. The way he curls up in the crook of Mahiru’s neck feels very comfortable and warm already, and he cannot help but laugh as Kuro’s soft fur tickles the sensitive spots on his skin and his tail curls around his neck. 

“Very well,” He says. “Now watch! I’ll make you nice and warm.” 

He grabs the scarf, covers Kuro with it and starts wrapping it around his neck and shoulders. It’s so long that he can layer it over the little body nestling into him again and again, like he’s building a little cocoon of woollen warmth around him. Kuro gives that surprised little noise again, Mahiru laughs, and Kuro jolts as he is jostled, which only makes him laugh more. 

“There we go!” He says as all the scarf has been used up. “Now you’re nice and warm, aren’t you?”

He steps in front of the mirror. The sight is adorable, there is no way around it. There is a nice and soft, caramel-coloured lump on his shoulder, which two big, red eyes are peeking out of along with a few tufts of black fur. Kuro blinks once, twice, before his eyes close and his little body goes slack in utter comfort. 

“Hold on, are you purring?” Mahiru asks. 

“No,” Kuro grumbles through what is very obviously quite a loud purr. Mahiru doesn’t really mind. It tells him he did a good job; that his vampire is comfortable and warm now in the scarf they share. And it’s also kind of cute. 

“Well then, we’d better get going,” He says, and there is no protest. 

The cold outside is brutal, and it attacks at once, stinging the exposed parts of Mahiru’s face like a thousand little knives. But he doesn’t shiver or shake, doesn’t really feel the temperature all that much on the entire way to school. Kuro is a little pocket of heat against his shoulder, nestling closer to his neck every now and then like the cuddly kitten he can be at times. And maybe knowing him to be so comfortable and safe sparks another kind of warmth in Mahiru, too; one close to his heart and stronger than anything the winter could throw at them. 

When he reaches the school gates, he already looks forward to the next morning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am relatively pleased with this chapter, which is amazing given how much I disliked writing Sloth pair until very recently. Shoutout to Hinata (hisakata_resutomoshibi on AO3, go check out her stories) and mahi-does-some-art (@mahi-does-some-art on tumblr, I can highly recommend), your passion for these guys made me enjoy characters I had planned to hate forever! You're both amazing and I hope you enjoy this nonsense.


	3. December 2nd - Letters to Santa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 2nd - Letters to Santa, featuring Lily and Misono

“Thank you for your call,” Lily hears Misono say, “but you have to excuse me now. I have a matter of utmost importance to attend to.”

The vampire chuckles quietly, hiding it behind his hand when Misono comes prancing back into the living room, very ready to get down to business. 

“Who were you talking to?” He asks. 

“Shirota,” Misono tells him, the smallest smile making its way onto his face. “He invited me to go ice skating next week.”

“And?” 

“I graciously accepted.”

Lily claps his hands in excitement, eliciting an exasperated eye roll from his Eve. 

“Wonderful! You’ll have so much fun!” He trills before taking on a more serious face again. “You know, you can keep talking to him if you’d like to. I won’t clean up here before you’re done.”

“Nonsense! How would that look, calling back after already declaring I’m busy?” Misono huffs. “We will have plenty of time for chatting later. And besides, this is important.”

“Very well then,” Lily says and reaches to the table beside him. “Which kind of paper would you like?”

“The candy cane one.” 

“An excellent choice. I’m sure Santa will approve.” 

“He better.” 

Misono receives the candy cane printed paper sheet, chooses a gold glitter pen from the bundle Lily offers him, and then sets out to find himself a table and start his annual letter to Santa. 

Lily smiles fondly as he watches him. They have found themselves a nice, comfortable room with a lively fire crackling in the fireplace for this important ritual. It is filled with subclass children scribbling away while munching on the christmas cookies that have been provided in generous quantities, scrunching up their little faces in thought before eagerly writing down another addition to their wishlist. And in the middle of them all there’s Misono, writing on candy cane paper with a gold glitter pen and a face as serious as though he was drafting a letter to his lawyers. 

There are many Christmas traditions in the Alicein household, and this is certainly one of their oldest, as old as the myth of Santa Claus itself. Ever since his children caught wind of it, Lily has made it a point to scour craft shops all over town for Christmas-themed paper, stickers, pens and tapes in November so the letters his kids insist on writing at the beginning of December can be so pretty their wishes are guaranteed to be fulfilled. They love this. He rarely sees them more focused and quiet than when they do this. 

Misono joined them as soon as he was able to hold a pen. And then he just never stopped coming up to Lily and demanding Christmas themed craft paper and glitter pens every December and pouring what sometimes accumulated to hours into his letter. Perhaps it is easier to believe in impossible things when growing up with a magic vampire servant around, but even now Lily doesn’t have the heart to tell him what really happens to those letters. 

(Because, of course, when he collects the letters, he doesn’t actually send them away to the North Pole, like he promises. It’s not really a lie, he tells himself as he notes their wishes down into neat shopping lists; for all the kids know it is still  _ Santa _ who reads them. As in the one who smiles at their sweet words and brings them their gifts and writes letters back in golden cursive.)

“Lily?” A small voice interrupts him, accompanied by a tug on his coat. He looks down to find Mary staring up at him with big eyes and a serious expression and her letter clutched closely to her chest, so he crouches down to address whatever concerns her. 

“What is it, my dear?” 

“I want to wish for a doll house,” She confides in him. 

“That’s a wonderful wish. I’m sure Santa would be happy to oblige.” 

“But!” Mary starts; worry sneaking its way onto her face now, “how will he fit it onto his sled?” 

“Don’t worry about that!” Lily smiles at her, as reassuring as he can. “It’s a very big sled. Trust me, I’ve seen it.” 

Mary does not seem satisfied, instead she looks around furtively, making sure nobody is listening to them. She gets up to the tips of her toes, and Lily leans in to listen. 

“Yuri wants a doll house too,” She whispers, “and I heard Kaito say he wants a Hot Wheels racing track. Won’t the sled be full then?” 

Now it’s Lily’s turn to look around, before he picks her up and brings her close to whisper a secret of his own. 

“Santa is magic, you know?” He murmurs to her. “Like I am. And you know how I can sometimes pull things out of nowhere? He can do that too!”

“Ohhh!” Mary beams up at him. “Santa is a vampire!” 

“That’s right!” 

“Can I tell Yuri?”

“Of course! But nobody else. It’s a secret.” 

He sets Mary down, and she immediately scampers off to tell her twin sister the exciting news. Lily watches after her, feeling very satisfied with himself. Another Christmas mystery solved. 

As he looks after his subclass, his gaze inevitably strays over to Misono again, hunched over a table, chewing on the tip of his gold glitter pen and not writing anything. Lily can make out a frown and comes closer, worry marring his momentary Christmas joy - it is not unusual for Misono to ponder over his words when writing his Santa letter, but today he looks very frustrated and unhappy and that just won’t do in times that are supposed to be joyful and festive. 

“Is everything alright?” He asks once directly behind his Eve. 

Misono flinches at the sudden voice and immediately hurls the gold glitter pen at Lily. 

“Don’t  _ do _ that!” He hisses. 

Lily laughs and hands back the pen, unbothered by the dollop of glittering gold that is probably marking his face now. 

“I couldn’t help myself,” He explains. “You looked so tense, I thought I’d lighten the mood. Now, what is bothering you?” 

Misono glares at him but quickly caves, averting his gaze to stare down on his candy cane paper. 

“I don’t know what to wish for,” He admits. 

Lily keeps himself from letting his face fall. He doesn’t want this tradition to bring his beloved Eve frustration. 

“Surely there’s something…” He starts, but Misono shakes his head. 

“I have everything money can buy,” He says, and turns around to his Servamp, and maybe it’s Lily’s imagination but as Misono looks at him he thinks he can see the ghost of the fond little smile that graced his features when he got off the phone with Mahiru earlier. “And everything else, too.” 

“Aw, Misono…”

“Don’t.” 

“Alright, alright.” 

They stand in silence for a few seconds, trying to figure out what to do. It is only broken when Misono - clearly flustered - pokes his pen into the paper a little harder than what would have been necessary, leaving little golden splashes. 

“You know,” He says, “I wanted to get Shirota a new washing machine this year, but when I asked for his preferred model he said it’s too expensive… I’ll just tell Santa to get him one. A good referral can never hurt, don’t you think?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> self indulgent lust pair stuff, yay  
> There are very few things about this manga I find quite as funny and baffling as the whole "Misono still believes in Santa" bit. I shall use it many times during the course of this project.


	4. December 3rd - Snow Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 3rd - Snow Angel, featuring Hyde and Licht

“You’re so quiet today, Hyde,” Krantz says. 

Hyde doesn’t really feel like paying him any attention - there are much more important things going on right now - but still he throws the man next to him a tired glance. Krantz smiles back at him, and as always he seems aloof and without a worry in the world while watching like a hawk. Even from beneath the three metres of designer wool scarf that keeps his face from freezing in the crisp winter air Hyde has felt his eyes on him for the last ten minutes or so. 

“Just watching the sky!” He replies. Krantz tilts his head back and takes a look for himself. The sky is a patchwork of fluffy white clouds and a baby blue winter sky. 

“Why is that?”

“I’m waiting for a cloud!” Hyde replies. “I didn’t plan on spending all day holed up in this book bag, you know! I have a cute new winter coat to show off.” 

Krantz nods wistfully, as though he has forgotten that it is a tiny hedgehog he is currently conversing with, one that is, indeed, curled up in a cartoon deer printed book bag occupying the park bench next to him. Hyde would much rather be out and about on two legs instead of four, but as it is right now the sun is out, beaming mercilessly down on the icy snowscape of the local park and forcing him to remain in this form. 

Deciding their conversation is over now, Hyde shuffles around to make himself at least somewhat comfortable among the music sheets and scratchy hotel bathroom towel he shares the bookbag with, and goes back to what he was doing before; watching the sky. 

At least that’s what he wants Krantz to think. He doesn’t  _ really _ watch the sky, of course. As beautiful as it is, as long as he could ramble poetically about it in borrowed quotes, it cannot compare to what is right before him - Licht Jekylland Todoroki playing with his animal friends. 

When Licht saw the first snowflakes fall a few days ago he was so thrilled he even forgot he was about to beat up Hyde for stealing his shampoo (again). He pressed his nose against the hotel window like a small child, and got all giddy and excited and adorable, and declared they would have to go to the park first thing in the morning, because he had to feed the animals now that it was officially time to do so. Then he spent the next few days pouting when Krantz told him he also had concerts to play that people had already bought tickets for, and the animals would have to wait. 

But today is a free day, so Licht jumped out of bed at the break of dawn, stuffed his hedgehog vampire in the next best bag he found and dragged him and Krantz through three different stores in search of appropriate animal food, all before any of them even had breakfast. He was so eager Hyde couldn’t even bring himself to complain, especially not after Krantz mercifully offered him a piece of his breakfast sandwich. 

And, of course, it is hard to be annoyed when Licht is so damn  _ happy _ . 

That ridiculous boy does his best impression of a Disney princess right now, standing in the middle of the animal enclosure meant for six-year-olds, with his arms outstretched, hands full of birdseed, watching tiny birds flutter around him with wide eyes and his mouth hanging half open, falling in absolute awe as one of them lands on his fingers to peck at the small mountain of food it is offered. Another has found a cozy place on the Lilo & Stitch beanie Krantz forced him to wear this morning, overseeing his bird friends with an air of authority and sharp chirps and trills. The little deer that live in the park have come up as well, nosing Licht’s winter jacket in search for treats, leaving wet snowy patches, butting their heads against him ever-so-gently, stretching their necks for Licht’s hands until he shushes them with a soft “not now, Mr Deer.” 

It’s stupid. Stupidly weird, stupidly wonderful. Hyde finds he couldn’t look away even if he wanted to. What wouldn’t he give to go and join them… Licht wouldn’t yell at him or kick him away to keep his animal friends close. Maybe they could build some sort of snow sculpture later? Suddenly he wants nothing more but to enjoy his angel’s company amidst cute animals and fluffy snow. 

Heh. An angel in the snow. A snow angel. 

“The sky looks nice today, doesn’t it?” Krantz asks. 

“It sure does,” Hyde replies absent-mindedly. 

He thinks nothing more of it until he hears Krantz chuckle, and as he looks up at him, scandalized and ready to make a scene, the man has his face hidden behind a gloved hand, his shoulders twitching in mirth. 

“Hyde,” He says. “The sun’s gone. You can go join Licht now.”

“What gives you the idea…” Hyde starts, already bristling with wrath, but then it hits him: Krantz is right, he no longer feels caught in his hedgehog body and when he looks up, he is no longer blinded by the sunlight as there are thick clouds muting it now. Immediately he forgets being angry, he scampers out of the bookbag and jumps, and lands in the snow on two feet instead of four paws. 

“What are you doing?” Krantz asks when Hyde turns around and rummages through the bag he just left, but Hyde doesn’t answer because in that very moment he has found his wallet and pulls a few notes from its depths. What good are all his part time jobs if he can’t spend the fruits of his labour on the snow angel? And besides, when approaching Licht it is always good to bring a peace offering. 

And indeed, when Hyde comes closer and the little deer come up to him and butt their heads into him to demand pets and treats, Licht greets him with a sinister glare. 

“What do you want, shit rat?” He asks. 

“To bring you breakfast!”

He extends a hand, wrapped tightly around the most delicious crepe he managed to scour up in the nearby shops, hot and steaming in the crisp winter air. 

“You care so well for your animal friends, Licht-tan, but an angel needs to eat too, don’t you think?”

Licht stares at the food he is offered. He’s beautiful, Hyde thinks as he watches him up close, his hair is messy underneath his beanie, his cheeks flushed (because of the cold, Hyde assumes), and little snow crystals cling to his scarf and jacket and slender, gloved hands. A bird lands on his shoulder and he absent-mindedly pets his head. 

And then, very slowly… he smiles. And looks even more angelic as he usually does.

“I’ll take it,” He decides. Hyde chuckles and hands it over. 

“You enjoy it, snow angel.”

Licht pauses, moments away from biting into his crepe. 

“What did you just call me?”

“Doesn’t that fit you well?” Hyde asks, amused. “An angel in the snow, Licht-tan! A snow angel! Isn’t that what you are?” 

“Damn right,” Licht says and strikes a pose, careful not to fling his crepe away. 

Hyde decides here and now he won’t call him anything else all winter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How could the prompt "snow angel" result in any other choice of characters?   
> The original idea was Hyde teaching Licht how to do snow angels, but then I scrapped the first three attempts and then asked myself why the frick Licht wouldn't know how a snow angel is done; and this is how we ended up with a chapter of Hyde being a lovestruck desaster and that's nice too. I hope.


	5. December 4th - Decorations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 4th - Decorations, featuring Misono and Tetsu (and a tiny bit of Lily and Hugh)

“Thank you for coming, shortie,” Tetsu says. “I really appreciate your help.”

“Call me “shortie” once more and you can do it on your own.” 

Tetsu just hums in what Misono assumes to be acknowledgement. He almost regrets agreeing to come over and help, but Tetsu was really nice about it and though Misono knew he’d go home exhausted and angry after spending two hours grinding his teeth at the stupid nickname, it’s hard to resist a genuine request for his help specifically. Besides, Lily was so enthusiastic to visit big brother Pride, and it’s near impossible to tell him no. 

(“I don’t know,” Misono had said to him upon receiving the call. “Sendagaya isn’t the worst company to keep, but I’m tired and he tends to be a little bit exhausting.” 

And Lily had smiled at him, seeming to understand. 

“Some people just are,” He had answered with a shrug. “But that doesn’t make them less enjoyable to be around, don’t you think?”

And he had been right, of course, so Misono had called back and announced their arrival.)

Since the sun has gone down already, Hugh was quick to drag Lily outside, claiming to have important tasks to do, and Tetsu nodded along, deciding he and Misono would be alright doing their part. Misono had little choice but to agree, and though he is pretty sure he can handle whatever it is they have been summoned for he also cannot help but wish they could have all worked together. Communication with Tetsu is somewhat easier if he has Lily nearby to translate. 

But he also cannot expect his Servamp to be around all the time. If the faint laughter drifting into the lobby from outside is anything to go by, he and Hugh are having a lot of fun. For a moment, Misono finds himself smiling. 

“So what are we going to do now?” Tetsu asks, staring at him expectantly. Misono turns around to him, ready to get started. 

“You tell me, Sendagaya, you called me here.” 

“Oh, right.” Tetsu’s gaze drops from Misono’s face to sweep over the many boxes of Christmas decorations he has piled up in the middle of the room. 

“You see, my father told me to set up the decorations so the guests will feel welcome in the Christmas season. But when I did it last year he told me the way I did it looked a bit messy.” 

“I can imagine,” Misono says. Tetsu nods, his face serious, completely unperturbed by the remark. 

“I’m glad you understand. That is why I asked Hugh and he said he thinks you and your Lily are good at this. Because you get a lot of practice with that big house of yours. So I gave you a call.” 

Misono feels something bubbling in his throat - anger, maybe? Exasperation? - but he bites it back and takes a deep breath instead. 

“You need me to help you put up Christmas decorations?” He asks. “That’s all?”

Tetsu nods, apparently finding nothing wrong with this. Misono is already exhausted. 

Of course with Tetsu, regrets never hold up for particularly long.

“I’m sure you can do a much better job at this than I,” He says. “You’re really smart. And I’ve seen how you decorate your place, you can make this one look beautiful as well.” 

Well. Misono loathes to admit it but there are few things quite as motivational as a compliment from someone too honest to tell lies. He heaves a heavy sigh - mostly for show - and looks around the place. He can work with this, he supposes. 

“You’re in luck!” He says. “As you have correctly assumed, I have extensive experience in decorating large places. We’ll make this place look so festive your guests will be unable to find anything to complain about.” 

“That’s the idea,” Tetsu agrees. “So. What do we do?” 

They settle on starting with the part that Misono can actively help with, which is anything near ground level. Tetsu produces a plastic Christmas tree they put into one corner of the room and cover in lots of shiny, sparkly stuff that Misono makes sure is spread out evenly over the entire thing. He proposes wrapping a few empty boxes in pretty wrapping paper to make fake presents, and Tetsu tells him he has such smart ideas and gets him both and watches in awe as Misono demonstrates his (really horrible) gift wrapping skills. 

“I usually leave these things to Lily,” He explains as he pushes the shoddily wrapped boxes into a corner, turning them to hide the massive amounts of sticky tape used. “He’s a lot better at this.” 

“I think they look neat,” Tetsu says, and Misono is trapped between feeling flattered and wondering who wraps Tetsu’s presents to make his look neat in comparison. 

Next up are the windows. Misono decks the windowsills in fake candles while Tetsu sticks gold foil paper stars to the glass, telling a story of how his sisters would spend hours making those when they were younger, and taught him, and how he’s been making them for everyone in the neighbourhood since. Next they find a box full of little chubby Santas and tiny, festive looking angels that they set up on every flat surface they find, including the receptionist’s desk that is then additionally wrapped in a gold glitter garland. 

Then, finally, Misono has to accept the bitter truth that there are no more decorations to put anywhere he can actually reach. Tetsu eyes the Christmas lights in his hands and the top of the window frames in a way that promises nothing good. 

“You’re too short to reach up there,” He says. 

“Really, I hadn’t noticed.” 

Tetsu throws him a puzzled glance but asks no further questions. 

“You can direct me,” He decides. “I can hang it up, but you have to make sure it looks good.” 

“Sure,” Misono sighs, rubbing his temples. “I can do that.” 

So this is what they do. Misono is surprised to discover that it actually works quite well like this - Tetsu reaches the top of the window frames easily, and happily follows along with the instructions he is given, without a single comment of “but wouldn’t you say it looks better like  _ this _ ?” or “do these two centimetres really matter that much?” or “my back hurts, Misono, you’re being so cruel today”. Which is a very nice change of pace from his experiences with decorating his own home just yesterday. 

“Excellent!” He tells Tetsu when they’re done. Tetsu looks rather satisfied with himself, and Misono decides that he deserves to, that they both do. The windows look beautiful and festive when he turns off the light and plugs in the Christmas lights instead; they blink green and red and golden and bask the room in a gentle warm light, making the gold foil paper stars sparkle and the fake candles flicker and the Santa figurines dance. The plastic Christmas tree stands proud in their glow, like it is the most luxurious little thing, straight from a poem about a winter forest. 

“We make a good team,” Tetsu decides. 

“We do!” Misono confirms, perhaps a bit too caught up in the moment. 

“I’m glad you agree,” Tetsu says. “There’s one more thing to hang up.”

“Sure, what is it?” 

Tetsu grabs the last cardboard box, and from its depths he pulls a banner that he unrolls onto the wooden floor. Misono cannot help but marvel at it. It says “Merry Christmas”, in bold, skillfully painted letters, surrounded by little stars and snowflakes. It’s pretty. Misono is actually impressed.

“Did you make this?” He asks, and Tetsu nods proudly. 

“I’d like to hang it up right opposite the receptionist’s desk.” 

He points to where he wants it, and Misono follows his directions with his eyes. 

Immediately feels much less mystified. It’s high up. Really high up. High enough that not even Lily could reach it. 

As it turns out, Tetsu can’t either. Tetsu also doesn’t have a step ladder available, because apparently a family of giants has no need for such. Except when hanging up Christmas banners, of course. 

“We should wait for Lily and Hugh,” Misono says as they both stand before the offending high-up point, questioning what to do. 

“I could probably lift you high enough.” 

“Come again?” 

Tetsu shrugs. 

“I think we can do it.” 

Whatever possesses Misono to agree in that moment, he regrets it a minute later when he is very shakily standing on Tetsu’s shoulders, much higher up in the air than he had ever hoped to be. It’s wobbly, and he feels like he’ll fall any second, no matter how broad Tetsu’s shoulders are and how steady his stance. His hand clenches tight against the wood panelling of the wall before him. For some reason he thinks about how his father would have a heart attack if he saw this, and he almost laughs with how hysterical it all is. 

“Are you doing okay?” Tetsu asks. “Did you hang it up yet?” 

“I’ve been up here for all of five seconds,” Misono answers, pleasantly surprised at sounding more or less steady. “Give me a moment. Also quit talking, it’s making your shoulders shake.” 

To his credit, Tetsu heeds the order. 

The banner has been backed with a nice, thick layer of the strongest double-sided sticky tape they found. Sticking the first corner to the wall in a neat, orderly manner is no problem at all, and as Misono smooths it out, he thinks this will go much better than expected. 

Then he realizes that the banner is quite long. And his arms are quite short. And sticking the other corner in place without making the banner look crumply and wrong will be extremely difficult. 

“What’s wrong?” Tetsu asks, apparently sensing Misono freezing up. He jolts, and clutches the wall a little tighter. 

“Be quiet, I said!”

“Oh, sorry.” 

What to do?, Misono wonders while mumbling a distant “It’s fine”. He’s stuck; one corner already in place, the other tucked in his shaky hand. Giving up would mean leaving it to dangle, risking damage to the banner, and he cannot let that happen. He could ask Tetsu to move, but he’s already close to toppling off his shoulders and can’t imagine this going well. 

Damn it. He promised he’d make the place look amazing. He will stick to this. 

“I’ll have to stretch a little,” He warns. “Don’t you dare move.”

Tetsu remains quiet, which at least confirms he’s been listening earlier. 

It’s frustrating being this short, Misono thinks as he stretches his arm as far as it will go. No matter whether it’s about stupid nicknames that he wishes a certain someone would stop using, or failing in tasks as simple as these, there are times when he just hates the way his body grows. 

“Come on, now,” He mutters, his fingertips grazing nothing but thin air. He leans to the side, with as much weight as he dares, scrounging for every centimetre. Still he comes up short. 

He refuses to give up. So he takes a deep breath, closes his eyes. And stretches from the tips of his fingers to the toes of his feet, clinging onto the wall for dear life, desperately hoping that Tetsu stays steady and strong - and presses the sticky banner into the wall, smoothes it over once, twice, and moves back. There are beads of sweat on his forehead when he opens his eyes. 

The banner looks great. Smooth, free of wrinkles, perfectly straight and welcoming. 

“I did it!” He announces, barely believing it. “We did it!” 

In their moment of mirth and joy, somehow, both he and Tetsu seem to have forgotten that he is still anywhere but safe. Tetsu gives a little, victorious cheer, his shoulders jolt, and suddenly Misono loses his footing, his hand slips from the wall… 

A pity, he thinks. He had really looked forward to not spending Christmas in the hospital. 

The next thing he knows are two strong arms closing around him, breaking his fall, pulling him to a warm chest to hold him bridal style. It happened so fast he barely had time to be scared, and yet he breathes a sigh of relief. 

“Oh my,” A cheerful voice says above him. “I always knew that sooner or later, you, too, would fall for me.”

“Shut up, Lily.” 

As he opens his eyes and lifts his head a little, his Servamp smiles down at him, along with Hugh curiously peeking down from his shoulders, and a somewhat guilty-looking Tetsu. For once he is grateful for Lily’s habit of randomly appearing out of nowhere. 

“I told you to keep quiet, Sendagaya,” He says.

“Sorry,” Tetsu replies. “It looks really good, though.”

Misono lets his head fall against Lily again, a half-hearted attempt at hiding his smile. He’s so exhausted. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was, without a doubt, the hardest chapter for me to write, and is also the one I am least happy with. Portraying interactions between Tetsu and Misono that I was happy with was a challenge because I just don't get their relationship at all. Which is frustrating! I like Tetsu, I love Misono, and I adore their friendship, but I never really let them interact before, for various reasons. So this was my first attempt, and I hope to get better in the future! (Should I ever desire to do this to myself again)  
> If you want to read stories with a really well-written Tetsu and amazingly cute Pride pair content, I recommend checking out pomfry's Servamp fanfictions here on AO3! I can absolutely recommend them to anyone, but to Pride pair fans especially.


	6. December 5th - Christmas Movies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 5th - Christmas Movies, featuring Lily, Misono and Dodo   
> (also Misono swears a little, I hope that's not a problem)

Lily is always happy to go along with whatever Misono asks of him. Sometimes he’ll bicker, sometimes he’ll try gently nudging him down another path, but at his core he’s a good, obedient Servamp, devoted to his Eve with everything he has. In the end, he’ll always submit. 

With one exception, of course.

“But I don’t  _ want _ to watch ‘Love Actually’ again!” Misono complains and Lily tries hard not to be offended and promptly fails. “We must have watched it a thousand times! Isn’t there  _ anything _ else?” 

Lily crosses his arms in his best show of defiance. 

“We can watch ‘anything else’ all December long. Right now it’s time for ‘Love Actually’.” 

Of course he is aware he is at a huge disadvantage. It’s very hard to win a discussion with Misono, if only because his Eve enjoys picking fights with everyone he meets while Lily allows himself to be openly rebellious about once a year, for exactly this occasion. But then again, it’s a Christmas tradition, much like writing letters to Santa and decorating the house together: On the first weekend of December they gather blankets, cookies and everyone who feels like joining them in front of the living room TV and then fight over what to watch.

“There are literally dozens of Christmas movies out there,” Misono says, in the same voice he’d use to teach a toddler that eating crayons is a bad idea, “Home Alone, or Harry Potter, or the fucking Grinch. I know it’s a hard thought to get used to for an old man like you, but this is not the thirties. We are not doomed to rewatch one single movie in an eternal circle of suffering anymore.” 

“But why would we accept anything but the best!” Lily exclaims. “Can you name even one movie among all those options you go on about that compares to the ingenuity and beauty of ‘Love Actually’?” 

“I could name several! God, Lily, you’re like a five-year-old who insists on having fries for every meal!” 

“And you’re like a four-year-old who throws a fit when offered some obviously delicious fried food!” 

“Guys.”

Their heads snap around to the third party occupying the more than giant living room couch with them. Dodo looks back at them, almost anguished. 

“Can we maybe not go through this again this year?” 

“Shut up,” Misono snaps. “I need to discipline a troublesome vampire.”

“For once, I must demand the same,” Lily huffs. “It seems the young master is in need of a reality check.” 

“What?  _ I  _ need a reality check?” Misono immediately forgets about Dodo as he whips around to go for round two. “Is old age getting to you, Lily?  _ You _ need a reality check! ‘Love Actually’ isn’t even that good!” 

Lily gasps. 

Dodo groans. 

“You did not say that!” Lily cries.

“It’s true!” Misono doubles down, arms crossed, stern-faced, impossible to move. “It’s sappy! And unrealistic! And the characters are infuriatingly stupid! The only mildly amusing bits are the ones with that Hobbit guy!” 

“Misono!” Lily whines, clutching at his chest like he was shot with a silver bullet. “How can you do this to me! Just say you hate me!”

“Oh my fucking god, Lily!” 

“My own Eve!” Lily wails over Misono’s complaints. “I feel so betrayed, Misono! I feel betrayed for Jamie and Aurélia! ‘Not that good’ you say, they made me cry!”

“You cry over every romance movie out there! I’m not having this again! I am putting my foot down, we’re watching ‘Home Alone’!” 

“That’s not festive enough!”

“What's that even supposed to mean?”

“Hey!” Dodo interrupts them once more. Again, Lily and Misono snap around to him. Only that he’s not sitting on the couch anymore but standing by the record player. Already inserting a disc. 

“I have good news for you,” He says and grins that smug grin that always precedes some juicy bit of information. “We’re watching ‘Die Hard’.” 

“What!” Misono howls. 

“You cannot be serious!” Lily shouts. 

“I am! It can’t be any worse than listening to your bickering.” 

He marches back to the couch and plops down, the remote clutched tightly in his hands and most likely impossible to pry away. Lily can see Misono glaring at it out of the corner of his eye. If his Eve were to jump Dodo now, he’d gladly join in. 

Instead, Misono just turns around on the couch and glances up at his Servamp. 

“I can’t believe this guy,” He huffs. 

“Me neither,” Lily agrees as the first scene starts flickering over the TV screen and the heavy weight of having lost settles in his chest. Misono looks crushed, so Lily pets his head in an attempt at comfort and Misono gladly leans into the touch. 

“I can only accept my situation if you make fun of that garbage movie with me, Lily.” 

Lily reaches over to the table, puts down the ‘Love Actually’ box with a heavy heart and grabs a few pieces of gingerbread instead. 

“I will,” He promises. He offers Misono some gingerbread, which he takes and eats while settling into Lily’s side to at least be comfortable while watching ‘Die Hard’. 

“Good. Let’s make him regret crossing us.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> disclaimer: I do not actually have a problem with any movie mentioned above  
> We're back in familiar territory with an entire story about Lily and Misono bickering! I have many thoughts and tons of headcanons about the two of them, and Lily's adoration for Love Actually is one of them. Since he loves movies so much, and romantic movies in particular, I think it fits him very well.


	7. December 6th - Sledding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 6th - Sledding, featuring Mikuni, Jeje and Tsurugi

Mikuni has often proven that he is a smart, competent man with the potential to behave like a grown, mature adult. It’s truly a pity that most of the time he decides to act like a five-year-old instead. 

“Why the long face, Jeje?” He asks and then promptly howls with laughter because Jeje’s face is safely hidden behind a thick black scarf with a paper bag on top. His ability to accurately predict Jeje’s mood despite his protective measures is almost impressive. His joking skills are certainly not. 

“Because every second I spend with you is torture.” 

Mikuni gasps and presses the back of his hand to his forehead with a grand, dramatic flourish not unlike a noble lady about to faint, straight out of the shitty historical drama they watched just yesterday. 

“You are so cruel,” He whines. “I am a delight to be around!” 

“You’d be a delight to murder right now,” Jeje grumbles and minds his own business again. 

Truth to be told, Mikuni is the least of his worries right now and a rather insignificant part of the reasons why his mood is so bad. His Eve’s incessant whimpers fade to nothing but quiet background noise among the creaking of barren trees in the bitter winter winds, and cars rushing down a faraway road, and a nearby gaggle of kids giggling and laughing as they play in the snow. It’s nothing that Jeje isn’t used to. 

No, it is the bitter cold that angers him. Jeje hates the cold, it is worse than anything his Eve could ever muster. He isn’t quite sure why - maybe it’s an unfortunate side effect of being a reptile half the time? Either way, he hates the snow, he hates the wind, he hates having to stand outside in the dark park for whatever half-cooked plan has manifested in what qualifies as Mikuni’s brain this time. 

“Mikuni,” He interrupts his Eve’s ramblings about backstabbing and how he’ll tell Abel about this. “Is there a reason we’re standing around in this park when we could be home?”

Mikuni seamlessly shifts from distraught to hyped immediately. It’s almost impressive how he does it. 

“We’re not just standing in a park, Jeje!” He happily explains, throwing out an arm to indicate the steep slope right next to them. “We’re standing on a hill!” 

“Fine,” Jeje sighs. “Is there a reason we’re standing around on this hill when we could be home?”

“There is!” Mikuni announces, about five times as loud as he would have had to in order to be heard over the relative silence of a park after nightfall. “Just you wait and see, Jeje! It will be grand! It will be thrilling! You and I will walk out of this park with proudly swelled chests and the sweet taste of victory on our tongues!” 

Jeje suppresses a groan and tightens his shawl a little more. Mikuni catches it anyways. 

“Aren’t you excited, Jeje?” He whines, once again flawlessly shifting between moods. “You don’t look happy at all!”

“That’s because I honestly can’t imagine what could be worse than this.” 

“Kuni! Jeje!” Someone else’s voice calls to them in just that second, a painfully familiar cadence, as if having timed its arrival just to make Jeje regret his words immediately. When he is jumped at and caught in a very aggressive, very not welcome hug a second later he wonders whether some higher force has it out for him today. 

“Tsurugi!” His Eve greets the newcomer in the aggressively bright voice strictly reserved for his least favourite coworker. Tsurugi releases his death grip on Jeje, and moments later he bounces around him to face Mikuni, his dark hair a strange contrast to the brilliant white snow on the hill, even in the darkness of the night. 

“Kuni!” Tsurugi chirps back, his voice no less offensively cheerful. It’s a fascinating thing to see them clash, Jeje thinks as he takes a step back to the sidelines. Somehow they can never be still around the other. Tsurugi dances back and forth, never staying in one spot for more than a few seconds. Mikuni shifts his feet, tracing his fingers over the seam of the pocket he stuffed Abel into when they left the house earlier. 

“I wasn’t sure whether you’d show up!” Tsurugi chirps, “You do so hate getting beaten! At least you brought an audience to pat your back after your humiliating defeat!” 

“Ha! You wish!” Mikuni gloats. “The only one humiliated in the end will be you when I make you eat those words! You’re going down!” 

“Always so cocky, Kuni!” Tsurugi fires back, “It’ll only make my victory sweeter!”

“Let’s settle this, then, you delusional bastard! Did you bring what I asked for?” 

Tsurugi grins, nods, and points at something behind the Servamp watching them. 

Intrigued about what has the two of them even more fired up than usual, Jeje turns around - to two old, beat up wooden sleds. The type that is appropriate for a toddler at most. 

“Seriously?” He asks. 

Immediately he finds himself pierced by two absolutely scandalized stares as Mikuni and Tsurugi forget their fight for a moment to scold him instead. 

“Very seriously!” Tsurugi yells.

“This is a matter of utmost importance!” Mikuni adds. 

“Absolutely! We will fight until our last dying breaths!”

“There’ll be blood and tears, can’t you tell?”

“Yes, Jeje, how come you can’t tell?” 

“Fine!” Jeje interrupts them, far above his usual volume but still just barely loud enough to cut through the barrage of nonsense. “Go ahead and break your necks for all I care.” 

The sooner they’re done here, the sooner he can go home and reheat some of yesterday’s soup, he figures. It’s best not to question their idiocy. 

And indeed, they’re already occupied with getting each other riled up again. As they dash for the sleds there’s a little scuffle - why that is so Jeje doesn’t understand since both the sleds look equally shoddy - but then they both have one secured and pull it to the edge of the slope. 

It’s quite steep, Jeje finds himself thinking all of a sudden. If he tried going down by foot he’d probably slip and fall, and he doesn’t even want to think about the speeds a sled could gain on its way down. There are tracks in the snow, from where other people have already done the same during the day, but still it does not look harmless by any means - the slope drops to both sides, and there are several bushes and small trees and bramble branches to crash into. 

“You can still quit,” Tsurugi tells Mikuni, which of course only prompts Mikuni to march over to their starting point faster and throw him a haughty glare. 

“Why would I?” He asks. “I have every advantage I need on my side.” 

“True,” Tsurugi muses, “maybe your big airhead will keep you above the snow so you at least don’t drown.” 

Mikuni merely huffs dismissively. 

“You seem to be forgetting I have a second person on my team! My sled will be heavier and thus, faster.” 

Before Jeje can inquire who this mysterious person might be, he suddenly finds himself grabbed and dragged over to Mikuni’s sled. 

“What?” Tsurugi yells, and Jeje finds his own reaction to be similar, just a lot more quiet. The last thing he wants is to be sat on a little, barely held together bundle of sticks to hurtle down a hill at breakneck speed. He is already cold and miserable, why does fate have to be so cruel today. 

“That’s unfair, Kuni!”

“It’s not! We’re a team!”

“Jeje, tell your Eve he’s being an idiot!” 

Jeje makes a frustrated noise as his other arm is seized by Tsurugi. He has always hated getting caught up between these two, especially when they decide to play tug-a-war with him. 

“Hands off my Servamp, Tsurugi!” Mikuni snarls. “You have no power over him! I’ll just order him to ride along with me and he’ll have no choice but to obey! Right, Jeje?” 

And of course that is true. Which doesn’t mean Jeje does not absolutely resent that fact. At least he can be petty about it, he decides.

Tsurugi howls with a sudden bout of laughter as the tall man they squabble over collapses into a tiny snake wrapping itself around Mikuni’s arm. Jeje hisses in discomfort, the cold is horrible even when wrapped in several layers of clothing but even worse in a tiny reptile body protected by nothing but a few scales - still, as he takes a look at Mikuni’s face, it is definitely worth it. 

“I will tie you into shoelaces, Jeje,” He threatens. 

“Aw, are you scared of losing on your own?” Tsurugi taunts. 

Mikuni is sitting on his sled in a heartbeat. 

Jeje immediately scrambles to get off his wrist, extremely uncomfortable with the thought of staying there while his Eve does his best to get them both killed, but Mikuni grabs him tight.

“You’re not going anywhere,” He says. 

“No,” Jeje hisses. 

“Let’s go!” Tsurugi yells. 

And off they are. 

Jeje hates it. The sled is very fast very quickly; the world rushes by them in blurs of white and black; and every bump they fly over makes his little snake heart stop. The wind howls past him, it’s icy and horrible and yet he barely feels it over the panic of shooting down the hill like a bullet from his gun. Mikuni yells like he is being stabbed. Tsurugi right next to them does the same. 

It’s hard to say who loses control first. Jeje looks over and sees Tsurugi’s wild, manic face; and in the next second it falls to the side with a sudden expression of shock, and then all he can make out is the underside of the sled. And while he watches Mikuni yells “oh, shit!” somewhere above him, and the world tilts to the side and Jeje wants to scream. 

He does not. He does, however, yell Mikuni’s name as they slide and tumble off the track at breakneck speed, hit what must have been a bush and fly off their sled with an amazing lack of grace. 

The next thing Jeje feels are the cold, and the ground beneath him and the wind above him, and a general hatred against the world. 

The snow is icy and cruel against his bare scales. It hurts so much it almost feels like his body is burning. The crash must have flung him off Mikuni’s warm wrist - regardless, he cannot stay curled up in the snow like this if he does not wish to end up as a snake popsicle. 

With every ounce of strength he can muster he pulls himself up into his human form. The cold does not vanish, having long crept into every cell of his body, but the black coat against his body and the thick shawl around his face are comforting if nothing else. He turns around to look for his Eve now that he can see over the bushes again. The only thing he finds, a dark shape against the eerily glowing snow, are the broken remains of their sled. 

“Mikuni?” He mumbles, with the excited screaming silenced it is quiet and his voice will carry. “Are you there?” 

He receives no answer. 

He looks behind him, just in case Mikuni has mabe been flung farther down the slope, but there is nothing there. 

“Mikuni?” He asks again, a little louder. 

When he still hears no reply, he begins struggling through the snow to get to the broken sled. And though it is deep and clings to his coat and seeps into his shoes he perseveres - Eves are sturdy, sure, but getting flung from a slet at the speed they were going, possibly hitting something… 

“Oh, my, are you worried about me, dearest Jeje?” 

“No!” He immediately hisses before he has even found out where the familiar voice comes from. As his eyes fall onto Mikuni, he has to bite back a laugh - his Eve has landed in a cluster of bramble vines, upside down, staring up at him with a smirk quite unfitting for such an undignified position. 

“Help me up?” He asks and holds up his arms. “I think I’m stuck…” 

“I told you it was a bad idea,” Jeje mumbles, but his relief is great enough to have him grab Mikuni’s hands and pull him to his feet before he can think better of it. His little moment of “I told you so” will be his only little triumph tonight. 

But with other, more urgent worries draining rapidly from his mind, he finds himself surprisingly okay with this. 

“Ahh, much better!” Mikuni exclaims once he is standing upright again and turns to peer into the darkness, back to where they started their little desaster race. 

“Do you think Tsurugi died? Is it safe to get my hopes up?” 

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Jeje hums. “Sled crashes seem to do very little to thick skulls.” 

“I suppose that’s right,” Mikuni sighs, either completely missing the insult or making a point of ignoring it. But then he turns around, looks at Jeje and grins, and Jeje can safely say it is the latter of the two. 

“Come on, let’s go look for that idiot,” He suggests, and because he can probably tell Jeje makes a face beneath his bags at the prospect of stomping through even more pesky snow, he holds out a hand. 

“I’ll let you hang out around my neck for saving me from those bramble bastards.” 

“How generous,” Jeje mumbles. He still slips into his smaller form and allows himself to be wrapped around Mikuni’s neck, and nestles closer because his Eve’s skin is very warm, and relaxes, the tiniest bit, when covered with a warm woolen shawl. It’s quite nice. Maybe he won’t become a snake popsicle after all. 

“If Tsurugi’s sled is still working I’ll steal it and try again,” Mikuni brightly informs him. Jeje curls a little tighter, just tight enough to warn. 

“Don’t you dare.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's chapter is early so that my dearest Hinata (Kahori_Katsushika on AO3, an amazing author who deserves attention) can enjoy it on her day off! Since she has recently discovered her love for those three idiots, I figured she'd like reading a bit about them behaving like the children they are. Luv u bby, I hope you have a wonderful day and enjoy this at least a little. 
> 
> (PS: I have no idea whether I used the correct word here. Is it a sled? A sledge? A sleigh? Someone who actually knows English help me pls.)


	8. December 7th - Building Snowmen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 7th - Building Snowmen, featuring Misono, Lily, Izuna and Freya

“I like your coat!” Misono says. 

The second the words leave his mouth he isn’t quite sure why he thought it necessary to say them anymore - he is not one for compliments, let alone small talk. But maybe, he thinks in those few moments that his words hang in the frozen air between them, something about being approached with a blindingly happy smile, genuinely delighted at coming across him and spending time in his company, has confused him somehow. 

The brilliant laugh he receives in response squashes any last regrets. 

“Really?” Izuna responds. “Don’t you think it’s too… flashy?” 

“Why would I lie about something so trivial?” Misono asks back, irritated but not really. “I am rather fond of pink, you know.” 

“Thank you! I like yours too! I love purple!” 

“It’s a great colour,” Misono agrees, unconsciously smoothing out the nonexistent wrinkles in his dark purple coat. 

For a moment they stand in silence, watching the gaggle of kids Misono is currently supervising, both searching for a new topic to converse about. It is unfortunate that he was not prepared to meet her, Misono thinks, he has always been better at being social with adequate time for preparation. But who expects coming across a familiar face when standing in the local park in the middle of tonight? Who expects coming across anyone at all? 

“So, what are you doing here at this time?” Izuna finally asks, as if on cue, and nods over to the children laughing and screaming as they play in the field of snow that stretches before the park bench the two Eves are currently occupying, throwing snowballs and making snow angels and generally causing a ruckus that luckily nobody is around to witness anymore. “Don’t they, uh… have a bedtime?” 

“They’re all vampires,” Misono responds, happy to explain, “so not really. We promised we’d take them to the park, you see, but it was quite sunny all day and we had to go after nightfall.” 

“That makes sense!” 

Izuna watches the frolicking horde of children with newfound excitement; laughs as a black wolf jumps into their midst with two more on her back, eliciting a response of thrilled little cries and cheers. She spins around once, twice, and dashes away with two new passengers on her back, jumping around the group in happy circles. 

“I bet Freya’s super thrilled we’ve come across you,” Izuna says. “She loves meeting children that aren’t afraid of her.” 

And indeed, as the wolf jumps and lands as a tall woman, catching the two on her back in her arms as they squeal with joy, the rest crowd around her, tug at her dress, eager for her attention. She smiles as she crouches down and listens to what they have to say. Izuna watches intently. Misono can feel the next question already burning at the tip of her tongue. 

“What do you think they’re doing?” 

“My guess is they’re inviting her to their annual snowman building competition,” Misono says. There’s an opportunity there, and yet he hesitates to speak up, chewing his lip to ribbons before reluctantly opening his mouth again. 

“You should stay and watch,” He says, “they’re quite good at building snowmen after being five for a few centuries, it’s worth seeing.” 

Izuna cocks her head and looks at him, eager to hear more. It is so easy to read her cues, so easy to talk to her. 

“Last year they built a bunch of snow animals,” Misono recounts, “and it’s scary how good some of them were. I wouldn’t be surprised to find a wolf or two this year. And they can do people, too; they made snow Mitsukis and snow Dodos and snow mes and…” He finds the corners of his mouth twitching with a joke he isn’t quite sure is funny. “...Snow Lilys.” 

Izuna giggles. What a good feeling, to make someone laugh. 

“Speaking of Lily, though,” She begins, “where is he?” 

Misono feels a little grin of his own sneaking its way onto his face. 

“He fluttered off the moment he saw you coming, that little coward. He’s scared of Freya, you see.” 

“Misono!” A tiny voice protests. Izuna’s face of shocked surprise melts into an amused grin when her eyes drop to something small moving in the collar of Misono’s coat, and he can guess who it is. “You promised you wouldn’t tell!” 

“So that’s where you are. I thought you went and sulked somewhere else,” He says, and as he brushes a hand past his collar, it comes back with a black and pink butterfly perched on the knuckles, the tips of its wings twitching nervously. “Come on out, it’s rude to hide.” 

He’s pretty sure that if his Servamp were human right now he’d stick out his tongue at him, but regardless the butterfly takes off, and a second later there’s the crunch of a pair of fancy leather boots landing in the snow next to their shared bench. Lily takes a careful look towards Freya playing with his children, making sure she’s well distracted before turning to Izuna with an apologetic look. 

“I’m terribly sorry, my dear,” He says. Misono notices how he fumbles with his hands distractedly, tearing at the seams of his sleeves. “I didn't mean to avoid your company, as my dearest Eve was so  _ kind  _ to explain.” 

“Don’t hold your breath,” Misono mumbles. Lily flicks the back of his head ever-so-slightly, never hard enough to hurt, as Izuna chuckles. 

“Don’t worry about it,” She says, more amused than anything else. “Freya told me you tend to avoid her.” 

“I do not avoid her!” Lily exclaims, seeming horrified at his perceived social faux-pas, “she is a perfectly lovely big sister and I treasure her company! I am merely… how do I say this…” 

“Terrified of her?” Misono suggests as Izuna laughs and Lily blushes a deep crimson. “Intimidated? Frightened? Scared out of your mind?” 

“Cautious!” Lily interrupts him. “Certainly not scared! I would never be scared of my own sister! That’d be just…” 

“Lily.” 

Lily jumps a good two metres at the sudden voice, right behind Misono. Which is hilarious considering Misono is quite a lot shorter than him even when standing up, and now that he is sitting on a park bench barely even reaches his Servamp’s hips. 

Trying very hard to keep himself from smiling too much, he nods at the vampire that has come up to them and currently watches Lily with a frown that looks angry but is probably just confused. 

“Good to see you, Freya,” He says. 

Freya looks down at him and Izuna and smiles a small smile of her own. 

“It’s good to see you, too. I like your coat. It has a very pretty colour.” 

“Thank you!”

“Anytime,” Freya says before her gaze settles back on her brother, who visibly flinches. 

“Hi, Freya,” He whispers.

Certainly not scared, sure. Misono makes sure to file away Lily’s lies to cite back at him later. 

“I’ve been informed there is a snowman building competition,” Freya tells him. “Apparently you need a partner to join. Come with me.” 

“Oh, I’m not too sure…” Lily hedges, looking for a way out. His hands find Misono’s shoulder and grab it tight, obviously hoping for support. “I don’t know whether I’m allowed to compete…” 

“Sure you are!” Misono tells him brightly. Lily looks down at him with an expression that promises some sort of revenge later. 

The momentary distraction is all Freya needs. Before Lily can find another excuse, she has seized his arm and drags him away to where his children are already setting up the competition, uncaring for his struggle to get away and already loudly making plans for a snow butterfly. Misono jovially waves after him. 

“Oh dear,” Izuna says as soon as their vampires are out of earshot, barely biting back laughter. “I didn’t think it was this bad.”

“It’s okay. I’m sure he’ll survive.” 

Mischief sparkles in Izuna’s eyes as she jumps up from the bench, and Misono follows, albeit a little slower, curious as to what she’s up to. 

“Regardless! We shouldn’t leave him to suffer alone. Do you think they’ll accept two more competitors?” 

Misono tries not to grin too brightly as it registers what she is suggesting, but still he finds himself nodding eagerly as he joins her on her way to the crowd of vampires already starting on their snowmen. With Izuna on the team their chances aren’t too bad, he reckons. 

“Of course they will. They’re always so happy to make new friends.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I realize the actual snowmen building is somehow neglected in this story but. I don't care.  
> I love anything that turns Misono's and Lily's roles around, so to speak, so for some reason I decided that throwing Wrath pair at them would be a smart idea. I think that someone as bright and cheerful and friendly as Izuna would be great for engaging Misono, and since he's terrified of Freya, it would make Lily the awkward one... it sounded better in my head but here you go.   
> Shoutout once again to my lovely Hinata for loving Wrath pair and Kat (@katzkinder on tumblr, Katnap_Kradle on AO3) who loves Izuna and wrote lots about her!! I use lots of their headcanons in a lot of my writing, since they are amazing and very well thought through, and they definitely helped lots with writing this.


	9. December 8th - The Family Picture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 8th - The Family Picture, featuring all the Servamp siblings (except Tsubaki, I'm sorry)

When Lily calls a family meeting, it’s always a good idea to be suspicious. Past experiences have proven that expecting the worst, choosing not to go and then hearing about whatever disaster their little family has inevitably caused from someone else are the preferable tactic when dealing with him and whatever his plans are this time. 

It’s just a pity that Lily likes playing dirty, and thus decided that informing Kuro’s Eve of the impending meeting instead of Kuro himself would be a great idea. Mahiru does not at all agree with his Servamp’s way of handling the situation, so matter how much he begged and complained, he was dragged away from the TV and over to the Alicein mansion with no mercy. 

“Kuro!” Lily greets him, throwing open the door and catching him in a hug before Kuro can even think about making a dash for the nearest tree. “I’m so happy you’re here! I wasn’t sure you’d come, I know how troublesome you consider our company at times!” 

“Yeah, well, Mahiru forced me,” Kuro grumbles, only reluctantly returning Lily’s hug that is, somehow, still ongoing. “I had to interrupt an excellent game for this, you know.” 

Lily pulls back and his bright smile doesn’t even flinch. 

“Then consider me doubly happy!” He exclaims. “I promise I’ll make it worth your time, Kuro, I have all your favourite snacks!” 

It turns out Kuro is the first to arrive for once, just as he predicted when Mahiru made him leave ten minutes early. Lily chatters his ear off while leading him to a comfy, quiet little salon with an abundance of couches and armchairs and a little fire already crackling in the fireplace, but he does stick to his promise and brings coke and tea and piles up a little mountain of snacks in front of Kuro, followed by three plates stacked high with Christmas cookies. Kuro mumbles a quiet “thanks”, takes a cookie and mentally adds ‘bribery’ to the list of Lily’s crimes. 

The doorbell rings and Lily dashes away to greet whichever sibling arrived now, excitement in his every springing step. This will be exhausting. 

A good 15 minutes later the room is not at all comfy and quiet anymore. Kuro tries to vanish into his armchair, trying to distract himself with wondering how the hell Lily managed the impossible task of actually convincing them all to come. Hyde and Hugh are in a heated conversation about the qualities of their respective Eves, their voices getting more high-pitched and angry with each passing second. Freya is talking to Ildio about what Kuro assumes to be apples, and every now and then Ildio will look up from where he’s hanging onto her lips and loudly demand another plate of cookies that Lily provides with a smile as he brings in their last guest, Jeje. 

“I think we’re all here!” The youngest calls. “Do you suppose we could start the meeting?”

He is widely ignored. Kuro can feel his eyes on him, asking for help, and quickly tries to look engaged in whatever it is Freya is saying. 

Thankfully Jeje clears his throat at that very moment. It’s a tiny noise but shuts everyone up immediately. 

“Awesome! Thanks, Jeje.” Lily beams up at him, and Jeje nods, mumbles “anytime” and finds himself an armchair so Lily is the only one left standing. He seems to enjoy his siblings’ attentions on him, if the brightness of his smile is anything to go by. 

“So! I bet you’re wondering why I asked you to come here!” He begins. 

“I was going to ask about that,” Hugh interrupts as though he didn’t just completely ignore Lily’s call to silence in favour of squeezing in one more sermon about the greatness of his Eve. Lily turns to him, ever-polite and accommodating. “Usually we only come together like this in emergencies or for important decisions.” 

Kuro sits up the tiniest bit. The entire group’s attention shifts to Lily, a rare moment of focus and discipline at the possibility of bad news. 

“You’ll be glad to hear it’s neither of those!” Lily replies, turning back to address everyone again, though Kuro can feel their (and his) attention slipping the second an emergency is dismissed. “I’ve actually called you here for a far more selfish reason!” 

“And what would that be?” Ildio asks through a mouthful of Christmas cookies. He has half the plate he was just brought already cleared. It’s actually impressive. 

“Yeah, Lily, don’t be dramatic!” Hyde agrees. 

“Alright, alright!” Lily laughs, claps his hands, all giddy and excited, before announcing, “I’d like to take a family photo to commemorate our first Christmas together in centuries!” 

There’s a beat of silence. 

“Really?” Kuro groans, letting his head fall back into the armchair, “This is what you called us here for? Can’t deal…” 

“I’m really sorry, big brother!” Lily throws him a glance that actually looks like he means it. “I thought you’d be happiest it’s such an easy task rather than something dramatic.”

“I thought there was going to be a fight,” Hyde complains.

“What do we need a family photo for?” Ildio wants to know. Lily latches onto that question, apparently having prepared for it when setting up this meeting. 

“We don’t really have a picture of all of us together! It’s so rare we are all in one place. The last time we came together like this they still did photography with silver, remember?” He smiles his sweetest smile as he points at a camera strategically positioned on a nearby coffee table. 

“But this age has digital cameras, see? We’ll all show up on there. And I would so love having a nice picture of all of us to frame.” 

“Didn’t we have that painting commissioned that one time?” Kuro mumbles, really not in the mood for picture taking but also too lazy to remember when exactly that was. “I figured you’d hold onto it…” 

“I have no idea where it is!” Lily replies, pursing his lips in thought. “Didn’t it burn down with someone’s castle? Not that it matters, we should have really paid for a more expensive artist…” 

“And what makes you think we can take a good picture now, on the fly?” Hyde asks. “If I had known that, I would’ve shown up with something a little more flashy to wear.”

Kuro has the sneaking suspicion this is exactly what Lily tried to avoid. But he never finds out because just as the youngest is about to comment, he is interrupted by Hugh.

“As much as I hate to admit it, Hyde has a point!” He says, smoothly speaking over Hyde’s “hey!”. 

“Such short notice won’t do, Lily! Pictures like these need preparation! I must look my best! It cannot not be done now, just like this!” 

Hyde forgets about protesting and instead nods fervently in agreement. 

“I like the idea,” Freya says. Lily flinches, but, to everyone’s surprise, actually manages to look at her and even throw her a smile.

“Thanks, Freya!” 

She nods and smiles back.

“I agree as well,” Jeje chimes in, quietly as always, and Hyde scoffs. 

“Yes, but you always agree with Lily. You two should have only one vote together, seriously.” 

“Not everything has to end up in a vote,” Jeje mumbles. 

“That’s right!” Lily says, “let’s just do it, it’s quick and painless and afterwards everyone can have some more cookies or go home or do whatever they wish!” 

Jeje and Freya get up to join him. Hugh, Ildio and Hyde stay firmly seated. 

“I don’t see the point!” Ildio says. 

“I need more time to prepare!” Hugh complains. 

“Yes, same! I want a better outfit!” Hyde agrees. 

Kuro can feel all eyes in the room settling on him. He had hoped to stay out of this and leaned back in his armchair to maybe have a nice little nap, but as he gingerly cracks open his eyes he does indeed find all his younger siblings staring at him, waiting for the decisive vote.

This feels painfully familiar, he thinks as he turns over and tries going back to that nice half-awake state he was about to slip into. 

“This is way too troublesome,” He mumbles. “Let’s do it another time.” 

And he thinks it’s all over and done with, and that the only thing he has to worry about now is that Hyde may be cheering a little too enthusiastically about having won a vote for once. 

But of course Lily is not about to go down without a fight. 

So the next thing Kuro hears are tiny little sniffles, and as he forces his eyes open, big brother instincts kicking in at the possibility of having hurt someone, he finds his youngest brother with his face turned away, arms wrapped tightly around him, shoulders shaking ever-so-slightly. 

“What’s up with you?” Hyde asks, bewildered more than anything else. Lily sends him a look that is absolutely  _ distraught _ before quickly averting his eyes again. 

“I’m so sorry,” He whispers into the silence. “This is not appropriate at all… but of course, you are all right, I should not be upset.” 

He quickly wipes at his eyes before turning back to the stunned group, offering a shaky smile. 

“I was too enthusiastic and overwhelmed you, and for that, I apologize,” He says, his voice teetering on the edge of breaking, “I guess… the thought of having you all close by… the chance of getting this picture that I have been waiting for so long… I let the excitement get to me and it clouded my judgement. Of course I can’t just expect you to do this for me.” 

“Oi, Lily!” Ildio yells, jumping up with a positively panicked look on his face the very second Kuro wants to tell the youngest not to overdo it. “We can take the stupid picture! It’s not that big of a deal!” 

“That’s really nice of you!” Lily blinks at him with big, glossy eyes, sniffling some more. “But please, don’t trouble yourself for my sake! I’ll get over it… eventually…”

“That won’t do!” Hugh exclaims, now also getting up from the couch he occupied, much more dignified than Ildio if it weren’t for the fact that he then promptly uses the coffee table to march over and at least be at the height of Lily’s stomach instead of his kneecaps when reaching out and giving him a comforting pat. 

“For my little brother I can make an exception! Let us take the most beautiful of pictures, my dear!” 

“How sweet of you to say! You always know how to cheer me up, Hugh.” 

Lily picks him up for a proper hug, and while Hugh wraps his tiny arms around his head, Jeje pats his back. 

Freya glares at Hyde. 

“Fine!” He is very quick to get up and join the group that has now formed around Lily. “It’s not like I couldn’t out-fashion all of you anytime I wanted. Come on, Lily, enough tears now, your siblings are here.”

“Thank you,” Lily mumbles, and peaks out from where Hugh has wrapped around him. When Kuro meets his eyes, they are very free of tears. 

“Are you coming, big brother? I have everything set up next door…” 

Kuro groans, and grumbles, but finally gives in under the pleading stares of six younger siblings. As they file out of the room one by one to go next door, he is still the last to leave through the door Lily holds open, having taken every second possible to get out of the comfy armchair. 

Lily throws him a smile so sweet it could give someone diabetes. Kuro returns it with a reproachful glare.

“I can’t believe I interrupted my game for this,” He says. 

“Thank you for doing this for me,” Lily chirps, and Kuro scoffs. 

“I can’t deal with you sometimes. You’re truly the most troublesome of the bunch.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm late! But still before midnight, I think. In my defense I was watching Pokémon, and that's very important. 
> 
> This prompt was originally "The Holiday Card" and was to be about the siblings wanting to create their own holiday card to send out, but then I couldn't figure out who they'd send it to and now they're just taking a family picture. It has very little to do with the whole Christmas or Winter theme but it has to do.   
> Inspiration from this were various times Kat (@katzkinder) mentioned Lily being a manipulative little cheat when he needs to be, and making use of the fact that he is the baby brother of the family. I have no idea how accurately I have written some of these characters, but this is mostly a completely comedic chapter anyways. It was good training, at least.


	10. December 9th - Ice Skating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 9th - Ice Skating, featuring Lily and Misono

“Do you ever look back on our life and regret your choices?” Misono asks. 

“You’re being very dramatic right now.”

“Says the guy who cried over a family picture just yesterday.” 

Lily chuckles. His eyes are sparkling with amusement as he watches his struggling Eve. 

“Point taken. I won’t bring it up again. Still, you’ll need to let go of that wall at some point.” 

Misono refuses with a very rude gesture that Lily acknowledges with a not-really-shocked gasp. He absolutely does not feel like falling flat on his face - again - even if nobody but his Servamp is around to see. The ice will burn against his hands and his face, and while he is no stranger to pain he’d rather avoid it. 

“I should have never agreed to go ice skating with Shirota,” He laments as he watches his skates quiver and shake beneath him, threatening to glide away and tear him to the ground even as he clings to the wall of the ice rink with every bit of his remaining strength. Initially he was glad Lily offered to sneak him in after hours and at least teach him how ice skating works before tomorrow’s outing with Shirota, but now, after over an hour spent on the ice he starts to think that maybe this is merely revenge for being made to build snowmen with Freya and he should just find a convenient bone to break to avoid embarrassing himself tomorrow. 

Lily skates closer. He’s disgustingly good at this, Misono notes with a sour taste on his tongue; he moves with the same elegance and grace as he does on dry land, not unlike the professionals he sees on TV sometimes when there’s absolutely nothing else to watch. To him this is probably not much more difficult than taking a stroll through the gardens or dancing from room to room back home as he plays catch with his children. Somehow, it makes everything worse. 

“Would you like me to hold you for a bit?” He offers. 

“No! Go away.” 

Misono tries moving to the side, but of course his feet glide away into five different directions at once. He would have fallen had Lily not disregarded orders and quickly grabbed him, though his hands withdraw quickly once he’s certain his Eve is steady again. 

“You know, it’ll be much easier to skate with someone steadying you,” He says. Misono can tell he’s making his voice extra soft and sweet, which means that he has understood what his Eve’s problem is yet still won’t let it go. “I don’t have to hold you up if you don't want it, but even just taking my hand will help you keep your balance, trust me.” 

“I don’t need you to hold my hand, Lily, I’m not a toddler!” Misono snaps. “Go mind your own business, I can handle this!” 

Lily flinches and scoots back a little, but before Misono even has a chance to feel bad about what he said, his Servamp smiles at him and nods. 

“Of course,” He says, absolutely unbearably softly now. “I didn’t mean to doubt you, Misono. I’ll leave you alone, but please do not hesitate to call me should you decide to take me up on the offer after all.” 

And with that he scoots off, skating back and forth at the other side of the ice rink, probably humming a silly little song to himself. 

He probably doesn’t even mind all that much, but Misono instantly feels worse. Usually it helps to snap at something, but he prefers it to be a book or a kitchen appliance or, if nothing else helps, Dodo. Lily is wonderful to bicker with, but he does not deserve rejection as rude as this, especially when it is born of jealousy on Misono’s part rather than something he actually did wrong. It is frustrating to see Lily perform so effortlessly at times where he trips and tumbles again and again - ice skating is just one example of many, really - but his habit of blaming the other rather than himself is just as much of an annoyance. 

Resolving to deal with it later, Misono grits his teeth and tries letting go of the wall. It’s hard. He’s shaky, unsteady, every cell of his body screams for something to hold on to. So he tries going slowly, loosening muscle by muscle, until he can take one hand away. And now the other…

Immediately his feet glide somewhere they are absolutely not supposed to glide. He tries moving them back and they disobey, tries regaining his balance to sway even more - and then his legs slip away and he lands flat on the ice and he just wants to scream. It’s horribly cold and stings and burns against his hands and knees and even his jacket-clad stomach. But it’s hard to muster up the strength to get up when he knows it will just result in another fall. 

Lily does not pick him up at once. Misono can see his feet skating back and forth in a nervous rhythm, not yet coming closer, waiting for him to get up on his own. He’s almost relieved when his Servamp gives up and scoots over. 

“Come on, Misono, lying on the ice isn’t good for you,” He mutters. Somehow, even in the cold, cold ice rink, his hands are nice and warm when they wrap around Misono and pull him up. This time, rather than setting him down to stand with the wall’s support, his Servamp has him sit on top of it, with his feet dangling and no danger of slipping. 

“Are you hurt?” Lily asks, already checking his hands and feeling along his arms for injuries. “Or just tired? Do you want to take a break? I can get you something hot to drink…” 

“I want to go home,” Misono says. 

Lily stills before lifting his head to eet his eyes. He looks all kinds of sad and worried. Misono wishes he would stop. 

“What’s wrong?” He asks. He has yet to let go of his Eve’s hands. 

Misono takes a deep breath. 

“I don’t want to make a fool out of myself any longer, Lily. I can try as hard as I want to, I’m just not cut out for anything that requires my body to do as I tell it to. I want to go home and invite Shirota for tea instead.” 

“Misono.” Lily grabs his hands a little tighter, looks him deep in the eyes like he is about to drop important words of wisdom. 

“Everyone makes a fool of themselves the first time they try ice skating.”

“Oh, shut up!” Misono almost feels like kicking him before he remembers there are currently blades strapped to his feet that he wants nowhere near Lily. “Do you think I’m blind? I’ve seen you waltz around here like it’s nothing! It’s so easy for  _ you _ , don’t lie just to make me feel better!”

“I’m not lying!” Lily leans against the wall Misono is sitting on, apparently preparing for a longer talk. “Do you think this is my first time on the ice? I’ve had a few hundred years to practice, Misono, of course it’s easy for me. It’ll be easy for you as well at some point.”

His gaze strays from Misono to sweep over the ice rink instead. He’s wearing that far off, distant look that sometimes sneaks onto his face as he pulls something from his memories to share. 

“Big brother Hyde taught me,” He tells his Eve. “That was a few hundred years ago now. We had met up in London by coincidence, and the Thames river was frozen over. He got me a pair of ice skates and told me to try.” 

“And?”

“And I was awful!”

Lily chuckles fondly. 

“I’m pretty sure Hyde just wanted to get a few laughs out of it. And he did, and so did the rest of everyone who was out that evening. I landed flat on my face too many times to count, and I’m pretty sure I broke my nose at some point. He was howling with laughter the entire time, he had so much fun.” 

“Why do you look so happy telling me a story about how you broke your nose?” Misono asks, because while Lily is quite shameless he never once recounted a story of humiliation with the glee his face is showing right now. 

“Oh, you see, the year after that I was the one to invite him,” Lily says. “I had spent all winter practicing. I was… well, not good, but decent. Certainly better than Hyde. I wiped that smile right off his face. Spite was a great teacher, I thought that’d motivate you.” 

“It sure would,” Misono sighs as he eyes his Servamp suspiciously, “if I could be certain you’re not messing with me.”

“I would never! You can ask Hyde if you want to. He’ll only tell you that first part, though.”

“I will,” Misono assures his Servamp, and then “I would have loved to see you make a fool of yourself.” 

“I’m sure you would have. I’ve been told it was very entertaining. Oh!” Lily’s face lights up as though he just had a bright idea. “I can go and fall a few times! Anything to make you feel better.” 

And despite himself, Misono finds he cannot help but laugh at the utter ridiculousness of the suggestion. 

“Please don’t.” 

“Alright. Then at least allow me to hold your hand for a bit as we go and conquer the ice rink once more!” 

Lily slips off the wall and bows and offers his hand with an overdramatic flourish. Misono has taken it before realising what is going on. He pauses, and then decides… What's the harm in trying once more?

“Smooth,” He comments. “Five more minutes, that’s all. Then we’ll go home.” 

Of course they stay for a little longer than that. And of course Misono falls again, many times in fact, though not as easily with someone to hold on to, and not as hardly now that he’s always caught. In the end he still texts Shirota and tells him he’d much prefer going out for tea tomorrow, but he also doesn’t say “no” when Lily suggests they do some more after hours skating next week. 

He will still need to get that full story from Hyde, though. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really have to say a lot at this point except yay, more Lust pair content, who would have thought. The good news are that the next chapter will have no appearance of those two whatsoever!! I hope you're excited.   
> (I think about Lily on ice a lot... he'd be good at this and you cannot convince me otherwise)  
> (also I have no idea about ice skating terminology in English so if you point out mistakes I will appreciate you forever)


	11. December 10th - Christmas Tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 10th - Christmas Tree, featuring Mikuni and Jeje

It’s never a good sign when Mikuni goes quiet. 

Not that it happens too often. He is notoriously loud and silly most of the time, after all. There are only a few days their little two person household spends in an unusual state of silence; Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, the early days of October… and, every year, one random morning in December. 

Jeje has yet to find a pattern to determine which day it is that he will wake up to find their bed empty (they share it only because the bedroom is too small for a second one, he sometimes tells himself). Mikuni is weird and eccentric, and it is very well possible there is none at all, but Jeje would much prefer to have even a faint idea when to prepare for a quiet day. He finds it hard to deal with them, at times. 

It is still cold and dark when he wakes up today. The latter is to be expected, the first lets his heart grow heavy for a moment. On a normal day he is always the first to wake up. The absence of Mikuni’s warm body by his side is unusual and he doesn’t like it. 

It is weird, he thinks to himself as he slowly crawls out of bed and goes through his bathroom routine, how he can never find it in himself to be at peace during quiet days. They should be all he ever wishes for. With his annoying, exuberant Eve relatively silent there are no more distractions to stop him from focusing on the things he loves doing, like trying out a new soup recipe or making another bottled ship or reading a book. And yet he knows that if he tried any of these today, he’d put them aside every five minutes to go check on Mikuni, too unnerved by his lack of annoying shenanigans to get anything done. 

Only as he toddles down the stairs on his way to the kitchen, paper bags firmly in place but still in a bathrobe rather than his usual robes, does he hear the tiniest bit of noise that indicates anyone is in the house with him at all. They come from the living room; the rustle of fir tree needles and the jingle of tiny golden bells and a soft hum so unbefitting of Mikuni. Jeje avoids coming closer, instead preferring to hide in the kitchen and prepare coffee and milk tea. They’ve been doing this for a few years, and he knows his Eve is not in the mood to be approached right now. Bringing a peace offering is a wise choice. 

Technically there is no reason to engage with him, of course. Any other day Jeje would have no problem at all slinking back upstairs and busying himself with something that doesn’t involve fretting over his ridiculous Eve. But, well… he worries, silly as it may be to do so for a 23 year old man, because a quiet Mikuni is, above all, an unhappy Mikuni. 

Gripping the milk tea mug tight, he sneaks into the living room. 

The first thing he is greeted with is a mass of green. This year’s Christmas tree is tall, he notes; normally they get a small one, the tip of which a particularly tiny teenager could reach easily. Mikuni must have dragged it in alone, which is an impressive feat. Jeje still remembers the first year they went through this strange routine, a younger, angrier, red-faced Mikuni struggling with the tree all on his own, covered in pine needles and snapping furiously whenever his Servamp had reached out to help him. Jeje would have offered this year, too, but by now he knows he would have gotten nothing out of it but rejection. 

No, setting up the Christmas tree is something Mikuni needs to do alone. Jeje could never fill in for the one this ritual is for, nor does he want to. His place in Mikuni’s life is another. It stings at times - because he is obligated to feel this way, he thinks whenever he dwells on it for too long, he is the very incarnation of this sin, there has to be a jealous part to him. But when he thinks about it with a clear mind, it is irrational to bring envy into this. He can fight for Mikuni, can sacrifice and bleed for him, can be the bearer of his secrets and his partner in crime, but to help decorating Christmas trees is just not his place. 

As he sits at the living room table and slides Mikuni’s milk tea over to where he is standing, his Eve half turns his head, grabs the mug and takes a sip before getting straight back to his task. Jeje watches closely, and the short glimpse he gets at Mikuni’s face reveals a somber, calm expression, so unlike the mask of aggressively overacted emotion he usually puts on. He can’t say what he likes better, so he doesn’t think about it. 

For some time - maybe an hour? - they remain like this. The sun rises outside, and Jeje draws the curtains. Mikuni progresses upwards from the lowest branches, decks first the ones at hip-level, then chest-level, then eye-level in bows and bells and ornaments of red and gold. He’s slow about it, pedantic even, not Mikuni-like but more reminiscent of that someone else whose presence is with them on days like these. 

They used to do this together, his youngest brother told him when he inquired about Mikuni’s weird Christmas tree habits. It was a tradition, one that Mikuni is apparently determined to carry on. 

He takes another sip of his tea and then tackles the upper branches. Jeje can see that he is starting to struggle, that his arms aren’t quite long enough to reach the back of the tree, and how much it bothers him to have an uneven distribution of Christmas decorations now. Still, he does not offer his help. It would not be received well, and he doesn’t want to be sent away, not today. 

Finally, Mikuni gives up with a frustrated huff and pulls out the last piece of decoration from his stash of cardboard boxes. It’s a little bird, its plumage glossy and purple. It goes on top of the tree, has done so for years, ever since Mikuni spent hours pouring over all the birds he found in an afternoon’s worth of time and finally settled on this one, long before they even had their first Christmas tree. 

Mikuni stretches - and comes up short. Jeje watches him struggle, jump, scramble for every centimetre without knocking off the decorations he spent so long setting up with painstaking accuracy, and still a tiny bit is always missing, the tree unyielding to his whims. A short one really would have been better, Jeje thinks. He wonders what possessed Mikuni to buy one of this size. 

His Eve takes a step back, his shoulders sinking, not huffing angrily but sighing this time. 

“Whatever,” He mutters, tosses the bird on the table, and Jeje almost reaches out for it. 

“Mikuni,” He mumbles, “I could…”

“No.”

And Jeje nods and believes that this is all that they will speak to one another today. 

Mikuni sits down with him, grabs his cup and frowns as he finds his tea lukewarm and disgusting. Jeje takes it from his hands and wanders back to the kitchen. He still has not figured out why he feels so much over his Eve’s quiet days, why it hurts him so much that he won’t accept help, but if fixing him a fresh tea will make both of them feel better, who is he to not do that? 

As he comes back and delivers the tea, Mikuni considers him with a thoughtful glance. 

“When I was younger, we’d get big trees all the time,” He says. “I could never reach the top. But I would pick up Misono, and he’d put up the bird for me.”

“I see,” Jeje says, and Mikuni nods at him for some reason, and drinks half a cup of tea before he speaks again. 

“If you could help with the string lights later that’d be fantastic! They tend to be very troublesome.”

Jeje is glad he’s beneath several paper bags. It does not feel like a day to smile, and yet, he does. 

“Sure,” He answers, just loud enough for his voice to carry. “It’s nice I’m useful for something after all.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should start putting warnings like these at the top rather than down here, but there you have it - a kind of somber, nonsensical chapter, without a real plot but lots of thoughts on Mikuni. I think it's not unlikely he gets quiet and kind of sad on days that used to mean a lot to Misono and him back when they were younger, so I gave them this tradition of putting up the Christmas tree together and this happened.   
> I also don't know how common it is to put birds on top of Christmas trees, but it's a thing where I live and I've always found it kind of cute.


	12. December 11th - Shopping for Presents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 11th - Shopping for Presents, featuring Lily and Kuro

Despite not yet having gotten over the blatant emotional blackmail he experienced just a few days ago, Kuro is quite relieved when he comes across a crown of golden hair one Friday in December; stuck amidst what appears to be a small gaggle of people. It’s a cloudy morning, when teenage Eves are stuck in school and the local shopping area is comparatively empty; the perfect conditions for two unaccompanied Servamps to meet up. 

“Kuro!” Lily calls as he spots his eldest brother slowly shuffling over. Upon closer inspection Kuro finds he doesn’t really recognize anyone in the small group surrounding his younger brother; they all seem to be young girls that Lily steps past easily to properly greet the newcomer with a tight hug. 

“It’s so good to meet you!” He says. “Let’s walk for a bit, shall we?” 

Before Kuro can object - not that he was trying to, he’s never opposed to being used as an escape vessel - Lily has waved the girls goodbye and pulls him along the street. 

“Friends of yours?” Kuro asks. Lily throws him a smile. 

“Hardly.”

A few minutes later they come to a halt near one of the Christmas trees that have been erected along the street. Whoever put up the decorations put in way too much work, Kuro thinks; he can’t look anywhere without finding string lights on store fronts, golden shimmering garlands and ‘Merry Christmas’ banners spanning across the street, and posters advertising the most festive deals. The air is heavy with delicious, cinnamon-laden scents from a few booths further down the street. 

“So what brings you here today?” Lily asks, cheerful as ever. Kuro notes he’s carrying several bags, presumably full of nice things to gift his siblings and friends. 

“Same as you,” He mutters. “Getting a Christmas present.” 

“Oh? How unusual!” Lily laughs. “How long has it been since you’ve gotten anyone a Christmas present? Ohh, don’t say anything! It’s for Mahiru, isn’t it?” 

“Who else, you?” Kuro huffs, not exactly surprised but still slightly miffed at how Lily treats this like the most juicy news. For once he’s glad for the biting cold. His cheeks have been reddened ever since he left the house, and the sudden rush of blood to his face does not make a difference. “You’ve been way too troublesome this year.”

“Boo, how mean.” In spite of his words, Lily seems positively delighted, staring at Kuro with big, curious eyes. “What are you getting him?”

“I don’t know yet. Actually…” He averts his gaze, feigning interest in a nearby store that offers 25% off any Christmas-related merchandise. “I was hoping you’d be able to help.” 

Lily cocks his head, his smile shifting from amused to something more mellow and mysterious. 

“I can most certainly do that,” He says. “It just so happens I am in need of advice as well. How do you feel about some punch to contemplate our predicaments over? It’s my treat.” 

They find an empty bench erected, amidst the small cluster of booths crowding a little square. One of them apparently sells punch that Lily carries over in flimsy paper cups. They do little to protect their hands against the heat, but the punch itself smells good, of apple and spices. 

“Is this alcohol-free?” Kuro asks suspiciously. Lily chuckles into his own cup, most likely topped off with a healthy amount of amaretto. 

“You have yet to reach drinking age, dear brother.”

“Oh, haha.” 

They’re silent for the amount of time it takes them to each drink a sip and savour the sudden warmth. It’s not as good as being tucked under Mahiru’s scarf, Kuro thinks - nothing is better, really - but to dispel the cold for a while, it’ll do. 

“So, how can I help you?” Lily asks after a while. 

“What do I get Mahiru?” 

Lily cocks his head, a curious expression on his face. 

“You mean, what I think he’d like? Or where to look for something?” 

Kuro makes an impatient noise into his punch. 

“None of that troublesome stuff. Just tell me.”

“You want me to outright decide what you will get your Eve for Christmas?” 

“That’s right.” 

Lily purses his lips in either disapproval or thought. It’s not that Kuro cares what he thinks - he could explain, of course, how he wants the very best for his Eve, and how the very best is best chosen by someone who gives gifts on the regular rather than someone who has last been shopping for presents a few centuries ago. But explaining is troublesome. 

“No need to make it difficult,” He mumbles, leaning back against their bench. “He’s a simple guy, he’d want a simple gift. You must know something.” 

“Hm… that one.” 

Surprised at how quick his problem is solved, Kuro follows Lily’s pointing finger… towards the ugliest sweater he has seen to this day; bold and bright and in the window of a shop that seems way too expensive. 

“He’d hate that.”

“Are you sure? It’s cashmere. Very soft, I’ve had my eyes on it for a while.” 

“Absolutely not,” Kuro tells him, and then, “quit messing with me.”

“Alright, alright, let me see.” 

They sip their punch in silence, looking around at any store in their vicinity and what they sell and whether it’d make for a good present. Well, Lily is looking, Kuro watches the dirty snow and the pebble he kicks around, and sometimes Lily, to see whether he found something better yet. 

“How about this?” 

‘This’ is a handbag, a tacky, leather-y one that inexplicably costs about as much as three of Kuro’s most expensive games. He scoffs. 

“What would he do with that? He’d never use it.”

“No? I would.” 

“Mahiru isn’t you.” 

“Alas, he is not.” Lily sighs and looks down at Kuro again. “Tell me about him, maybe it’ll help me think from his perspective!” 

“You’ve met him!” Kuro complains. 

“Pretend I didn’t.” 

He groans but gives in, still hoping for a quick and easy answer. Perhaps he’s foolish for that.

“Mahiru, well…” He pauses as he tries to think. Lily, patient as ever, drinks some more punch in the time it takes him to contemplate. 

“He’s a very… simple guy. He doesn’t need fancy clothing. He spends most of his time in his school uniform anyway… and he prefers jeans, and shirts, he has lots of them. And he has one bag that he uses again and again, and nothing else.” 

“Wouldn’t he like a new one, then?” 

“Oh, no, absolutely not.” Kuro almost chuckles. “He loves that thing. Mahiru… he always charges headfirst into everything, you know, he’s always ready for something new, but I think he’d hate giving up on an old thing for that. And before you suggest that, nobody except you uses more than one bag at a time.”

“I understand that,” Lily says, nodding in approval, “something he doesn’t have, then? A fancy new fountain pen! You could get his name engraved!” 

Kuro sends him an exasperated glare. 

“Who in their right mind uses a fountain pen? Mahiru is not your precious baby Eve either, Lily, please take this seriously.”

“I am!” Lily promises, “if this was about Misono I’d suggest books! Is Mahiru particularly fond of books, Kuro?” 

“A normal amount of fond, I guess?” Kuro answers, slowly growing irritated. “He has no time to read… he’s always either out with friends, or doing chores… or cooking. He spends so much time cooking, I wonder whether that’s normal.”

“Maybe he enjoys it?” Lily suggests and now, Kuro almost laughs. 

“He loves it! He’s always finding new recipes… I’ve lost count of how many currys he made me try…”

“How troublesome, to ask this of you” Lily muses. 

“They’re delicious,” Kuro says, unwilling to deal with any kind of Mahiru slander. “I can deal with it for his sake. I just wish they wouldn’t take him so long… he always complains about the time he puts into dicing the vegetables and stuff… I helped him once, I couldn’t move my arm for the rest of the evening.”

“I believe that,” Lily tells him in a voice that leaves no doubt he absolutely does not believe that. Kuro scoffs at him, growing ever more defensive of his Eve. 

“Have you ever cooked a thing in your life? Mahiru is an expert at it, you know, and it still takes him forever… he’s always late for playing video games with me. It’s very troublesome.” 

“If only there was something to take such tedious work off his hands.” 

“Yeah, that’d make a great present… wait.” Kuro turns around to eye his brother suspiciously. “Does such a thing exist?” 

“I worry about you, sometimes,” Lily says but gets up, tossing his empty punch cup into a nearby garbage can. “Follow along, I think I saw a store for kitchen utensils earlier.” 

It is maybe fifteen minutes later that they emerge from said kitchen utensil store. Lily looks very satisfied with both of them. Kuro stares down at the box in his hands, neatly labelled ‘Nicer Dicer’, slightly in awe. 

“The 21st century is amazing,” He says. 

“I agree!” Lily sends him a smile not unlike one a mother would use to praise her child’s first macaroni artwork. “What a wonderful present for your Eve, and you didn’t even need me to buy it for you!” 

“I don’t need you to hold my hand, you know.”

“True. Usually you have Mahiru for that. I’ll tell you something!” Lily chirps as though he just had a bright idea. “You can win my respect by granting me some of your older brother wisdom!”

“Sure,” Kuro mumbles, “what do you need to know?”

“Misono didn’t send a wishlist to Santa this year, you see, and now he thinks he won’t get anything… how do I explain all the stuff I already bought?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one goes out to my lovely Hinata, who pointed out to me that when asked for help with Christmas presents Lily would helpfully pick out all the horrible ones because he knows that what Mahiru would appreciate most of all is a present that Kuro's thoughts went into. Whether he'll actually use the Nicer Dicer? I don't know! In my opinion anyone can do the same thing as a Nicer Dicer with a cutting board, a knife and the same amount of time, and I imagine Mahiru dices vegetables much faster than me. But it's the thought that counts!


	13. December 12th - The Christmas Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 12th - The Christmas Dance, featuring Lily and Misono

The only good thing about this situation is the dessert selection, Misono decides. He stuffs another piece of cake into his mouth, and though he has to admit it’s delicious it still does little to lighten the scowl on his face. At least it keeps any other guests at this godforsaken party clear of him. 

Except Lily, of course. 

“Why, aren’t you in a good mood!” His Servamp trills as he prances over to the place by the buffet that Misono is currently occupying. He looks blindingly brilliant in the fancy suit he brought out for the occasion, even more so because he seems to be quite happy with the glass of champagne in his hands and life in general. As usual at events like these he is followed by a gaggle of young men and women in glittering dresses and expensive jackets, weirdly giggling and whispering amongst each other. 

It is always interesting to experience what happens when they come together in public like this; to see whether the concentrated anger Misono radiates is enough to cancel out the effect of Lily’s natural allure and charm. Today they clash and battle without one overpowering the other, and Lily’s little fanclub skirts around them but doesn’t dare come closer. Yet. 

“I’d rather be pecked to death by a flock of hummingbirds than spend another minute at this sham of a party,” Misono says, sending a grim glare to a young man that dares come a bit closer than the rest of his group. “Quite frankly, I don’t know why I need to be here.” 

“Charity!” Lily happily provides, pointing to the magnificent banner above the entrance to the richly decorated, people-infested ballroom. “It is called a charity event, is it not?”

“Wouldn’t it have been so much easier to just throw some money in a pot and call it a day?” Misono huffs. “I mean, who exactly does my presence here actually benefit?”

“Excuse me?” 

It is the same young man that Misono thought he had successfully scared off just seconds prior that pushes between them now, throwing him a generic, if cautious smile before turning to Lily. Misono hates the look in his eyes, greedy and so sure of success. He just  _ knows _ what that guy is thinking; that he has deemed Lily the servant of an incompetent master, easily stolen away. He’s not the first one to think so. 

“Do you want to dance by any chance? If you come with me…”

“Excuse  _ me _ ,” Misono hisses, “what exactly gives you the impression he’s free right now? Fuck off.” 

Apparently not used to being suddenly cursed at, the guy flinches back, looks at Lily and earns a polite shrug. He leaves without further comment. 

“Entitled bastard,” Misono mutters and Lily chuckles. 

“See?” He says as he watches the guy join his group of friends, most likely already telling them what a brat that Alicein boy is, “your presence greatly benefits me.” 

Despite himself, Misono smiles. 

“So you’re shamelessly using me, is that it, Lily?”

“Oh no, if that were the case, I’d ask you to dance.” 

“Hard pass.” 

Lily sighs. “Truly, a shame,” He muses, drinking the last drops of his champagne. “You’re such a great dancer.” 

“Not in this company.” 

Misono takes another look through the room at the edge of which they’re standing, once again coming back to the banner over the entrance.  _ Christmas Charity Dance _ it reads. For some reason it pisses him off to no end that someone dared to put “Christmas” in there, when all that is “Christmas” about this party are the decorations and the gingerbread on the dessert table. 

“I hate this place,” He says. “Nobody here is interested in Christmas, or even charity. They’re all just after booze and some pretty company for the night and pretending to be greater than you are. I wonder why my father keeps sending me to these events.” 

“To learn the ways of your people, of course!” Lily replies, his tone suggesting he is only half joking. “He wants you to fit in, one day.” 

“I don’t want to fit in with these people! Just because  _ he _ likes to fake greatness doesn’t mean I have to learn,” Misono huffs. Lily laughs, and he snaps around to glare at him. 

“What?” 

“Oh, Misono,” Lily says, granting him his softest smile. “Your greatness will never have to be fake, you know that.” 

Maybe it is spending all night surrounded by all things fake that makes the genuineness in Lily’s voice hit so hard. Misono finds himself blushing, hard, and he quickly looks away. 

“Don’t say stupid things, Lily,” He mutters, and then, “come on, let’s call Dodo. We’ll go home and have hot chocolate before the last of my Christmas spirit is sapped away.” 

“An excellent idea,” Lily agrees. “We can watch ‘Love Actually’!”

“Whatever gets me out of here,” Misono says. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it is quite obvious, but I did not know what to do with the prompt "Christmas Dance" at all. I started by throwing Lily and Misono at it because I thought since they are easiest to write for me they'd handle it, and then I started playing the hits and mixed in some "Misono chases away people shamelessly flirting with Lily" because I do that A LOT (it's fun), and then topped it off with a headcanon of mine that is "Misono, the rich kid, absolutely hates the company of fellow rich kids" and this abomination was born.   
> It's a shame, because "Christmas Dance" could be a really cute, romantic prompt! I might reuse it for a story set a few years later, and make it shamelessly shippy and sweet.


	14. December 13th - Snowball Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 13th - Snowball Fight, featuring Misono, Lily and Sakuya; along with Mahiru, Kuro, Tetsu, Hugh, Hyde and Licht

“Are you cold, Misono?”

“If you ask me once more, I’ll stick your head in the snow.” 

The concern on Lily’s face doesn’t yield to his dismissive quips, so he sighs, and adds “No, I’m not, you can stop worrying now.” 

It’s not even a lie. He’s very nice and warm, actually, which is amazing considering he is sitting outside in the local park on a cloudy winter day, with nothing but a blanket to shield him against the frozen ground and masses of snow. But, in all fairness, it’s a very nice blanket, soft and thick and amazingly warm. 

(Of course, the several layers of clothing he has been bundled up in before he was allowed to leave the house are helping as well. He can now relate to how a stuffed chicken must feel, but it’s a small price to pay for warmth.)

With Lily placated, Misono’s attention is quickly captured by the ongoing conversation again. Quite a few of them have shown up, following Mahiru’s call to their little winter picnic - the moment someone in their group chat tentatively brought the idea up he threw himself into making it happen, picking out food and drinks and delegating tasks. It seems to delight him to organize and invite, to cook and pack and busy himself with tasks that result in silly, wonderful things like winter picnics. He looks ridiculously proud of himself surrounded by empty boxes that once contained sandwiches and pies, and cans half-filled with punch and hot cocoa that still steam when poured into a mug. 

And their friends, of course. Besides Misono and Mahiru, Tetsu and Licht have also shown up and brought their respective Servamps. And, of course, since Mahiru was the one in charge of invites, that annoying, green-haired troublemaker is here. Sakuya, always laughing a bit too long and a bit too loud. 

Before Misono can continue the train of thought that would inevitably lead to a long list of all the things he dislikes about that guy, Lily shuffles a little closer. And though his presence is welcome, his nagging questions are not. 

“Are you sure you’re fine?” He asks. “I can get you another hot drink, and…” 

“Lily,” Misono interrupts him, sounding more exasperated than he really means to, “I’m very sure, please just believe me.” 

While he, once again, tries to join the conversation - Hugh is telling a story about his old castle, and those are always good - he feels someone else’s eyes on him. As he turns, he finds it to be Sakuya, smirking annoyingly. 

“What?” He demands. 

“Oh, nothing. Just wondering who made you bring your babysitter.”

Misono frowns. 

“We’re bound by a contract, Watanuki, surely you’re not this stupid.” 

“Misono!” Lily chastises him, but Misono can hear the chuckle in his voice. 

“Oh no, it’s fine!” Sakuya tells them, his attention fully on Misono now, very obviously enjoying himself. “Was he also the one to help you dress this morning? Is he aware you look like a marshmallow puff?” 

“There’s nothing wrong with dressing for the weather,” Misono haughtily replies, though he feels like lunging at Sakuya’s throat any second now, “just imagine if I’d shown up in something inappropriate, like, say, a track suit. I’d look like an idiot!” 

Sakuya, his arms folding in front of his track suit-clad chest, narrows his eyes. 

“Rich words coming from a…”

“Hey, you two. Do we have to do this today?”

It is only at Mahiru’s exasperated call that Misono realizes the entire group is listening to their bickering now. His mouth snaps close, and he is contemplating shutting up for now and listening to some more stories and finding a way to get back at Sakuya later, when the other speaks up again. 

“It’s not my fault, Mahiru!” He says, pointing accusingly at Misono, “your little friend and his sugar baby vampire…” 

He doesn’t get to finish that sentence, because Misono gave up any thought of forfeiting in the span of a millisecond, instead chucking the first thing he found at Sakuya’s head. 

Which happens to be a handful of snow. 

For a second, everything is silent. Sakuya sputters, icy flakes sticking to every strand of his green hair. 

“Snowball fight!” Hyde yells, and all hell breaks loose. 

Licht takes the opportunity to immediately shove Hyde headfirst into the snow. Hugh lets out a cry of pure exhilaration and launches himself off Tetsu’s shoulders into the next loaf of snow, delivering snowballs into every direction with no regard for casualties. Mahiru, Tetsu and Lily jump to their feet; Sakuya pelts Misono’s face with three more snowballs before he has the chance to even get off the picnic blanket. 

An arm wraps around his waist and there’s a gust of wind rushing past him, and he knows he is out of range for a brief moment of time. 

“What have I done!” He cries as Lily wipes the snow off his face. His vampire is laughing like he has the time of his life. 

“You made this picnic infinitely better,” He tells his Eve. “Incoming!” 

They dive behind a park bench, narrowly avoiding a flurry of snowballs. 

“Cowards!” Sakuya howls. Misono peeks out from behind his hiding place, finding the air around him black and crackling with power, launching more snowballs than what should be humanly possible. 

“Oi, Watanuki! No using vampire powers!” He yells, cursing when one of the projectiles explodes right above their heads and showers them in snow. 

“There are no rules to snowball fights!” Sakuya yells back, already reloading. 

“Fine then! Lily!” 

“At your service!” 

Lily’s magic settles over them like a warm blanket, and when Misono looks at his hands, they are no longer there. The feeling is strange, but he knows how to handle it. This is far from his first time being invisible, after all. 

“Hey, that’s unfair!” Sakuya cries, and Misono resists the temptation to call him a hypocrite, well-aware that they can still be easily tracked by sound. 

“You go right, I’ll take the left,” He whispers to where he knows Lily is, “it won’t be long before he spots our footprints, we need to hurry!”

“Count on me!” Lily chirps, and he is gone in a gust of wind, and Misono, too, struggles to his feet and out from behind the bench. 

The picnic place has dissolved into chaos. Hyde and Licht are in a full-blown war of their own, rolling around in the snow rather than tossing it, mowing down everything in their path. Hugh has found his way back onto Tetsu’s shoulders, launching the snowballs his Eve dutifully hands him at everything that moves. Mahiru whacks through the air with his broom, fending off any snowball that dares come too close to his blanket, yelling at Kuro to get up and help him, so far with no real results. 

And amidst it all, there’s Sakuya, still staring at the now empty bench in bewilderment. It won’t be long before he finds how to track them. 

Misono struggles to go faster. It’s only now that he curses the five-layer getup, he’s uncomfortably warm and out of breath and Sakuya is still so far away. And it is hard to move, every step feels so much more awkward and clumsy. 

He wills himself to go faster. Lily has long dashed past him, he can tell without looking at his tracks, but he doesn’t attack. Not yet. 

“Footprints!” Sakuya yells. “Ha, I got you now!” 

Misono bites down a curse and struggles to go faster. 

Sakuya is scooping up new snowballs by the dozen. His eyes flit along the traitorous imprints of Misono’s feet in the snow. He’s almost there now - just one more second… 

“There you are!” Sakuya cries, his eyes piercing right through where Misono runs, his ammunition ready to fire. Misono prepares to get showered in icy snow. 

“Not so fast!” 

Lily blinks into existence right next to Sakuya, blowing a cloud of snow in his face before vanishing with a joyful chuckle. 

The moment of sputtering distraction is all Misono needs. He’s right on top of Sakuya now, scoops up as much snow as he can - and smashes it right into his face. 

“Hey!” Sakuya yells, shaking and struggling to get the cold, wet snow off him. Lily’s hand settles on Misono’s shoulder, and his spell lifts so they can properly gloat and bask in Sakuya’s death glare. 

“You’ll pay for this!” He threatens, the joyful smirk already back on his face. His power is crackling in cheerful, black-and-green wisps.

“Try me!” Misono fires back. Lily next to him is brimming and charged with magic, it dances along his skin in pink sparks, ready to be spent in battle. 

If only all their fights were like this. They wage war until they’re out of breath, laugh until their throats are raw, and in the end they are covered in snow and brimming with warmth. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bad news, everyone! After two lust pair centered oneshots, the next one will be just the same.   
> A snowball fight with these participants has already been done in one of the drama CDs, I believe. And while I encourage you to check that one out, since it has some genuinely funny moments, I must also say I am so, so tired of jokes on Misono's expense that boil down to "haha he's weak and pathetic and easily taken out" and think he deserves to win a fight for once. So here he is, battling alongside his partner in a way that works for him. 
> 
> I wanted both Sakuya and Lily to use their powers in battle. Sakuya so far has been shown to be good with knives and pull a chainsaw out of nowhere, both of which did not fit well with a snowball fight; but he also displays some of that vampire clothing magic that Kuro's coat is so good for; in that he can use his suspenders as an emergency baby leash (as he demonstrates with Belkia somewhere in volume three). What I have very vaguely described here relates to that.   
> As for Lily, the manga shows he is capable of hiding a specific area with his illusion magic, so I thought it logical he could do it to just himself and his Eve as well. The anime even shows him outright turning invisible, though I am not sure how good of a source it is.


	15. December 14th - Hot Chocolate by the Fireplace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 14th - Hot Chocolate by the Fireplace, featuring Lily and Misono

“I’m cold, Lily.” 

“Would you like me to get you some hot chocolate?” 

“Yes.” 

Lily smiles, nods, and dashes away to the kitchen. 

Misono settles back on the couch he’s been deposited on with a scowl on his face, directed at nobody but himself. He really shouldn’t have spent that much time outside yesterday. Their little snowball exercise fooled him into believing he was all nice and warm, but when they came home in the evening he was shaking like a leaf. And even though Lily was quick to stick him into a nice, warm bath and somehow organized a very healthy, very hot stew for dinner and made sure he went to bed immediately after, he still woke up sniffling and shaking and freezing and absolutely miserable. 

He had hoped to avoid sickness this winter, or at least before Christmas, but it seems it is not meant to be. Though when he complained to Lily about it this morning, he recalls with a hint of a smile, the vampire was quick to educate him that  _ technically _ , he wasn’t really sick. 

“You don’t have a fever!” He had said, showing him the thermometer as proof, “so as I see it, you’re not really sick, you’re just… tired.” 

“You still called me out of school for today,” Misono had reminded him while snuggling deeper into the sweater Lily had buried him in, already in a bad mood at the thought of having to spend the day in bed. 

“A purely preventive decision. As is carrying you downstairs, you are not touching that cold floor with your feet.” 

And against all protest that was exactly what he had proceeded to do, and Misono had been scooped up, and carried to the downstairs couch by the fireplace, and wrapped in as many blankets as Lily had been able to find. 

He pulls them a little tighter, still shaking, and sniffles. Someone has started a fire, but the flames are still low, their heat only slowly warming the room. Even the light of the morning sun rising outside the windows seems cold today, white and bright as it is, and as it hits him it only makes him sneeze and shiver. 

“Gesundheit!” Lily chirps from the door before he, too, squints at the sudden brightness. “Oh my, it must be a sunny morning we’re having! Best to shut that out.” 

Before Misono can offer, he has already darted past the thick beams of light and pulled the curtains shut. The room goes from blindingly bright to an orange-tinted dark, only illuminated by the fire’s low glow, and as Lily stokes the flames, they flicker and dance a little higher, and bask him and Misono in a soft, orange light. A gentle wave of heat washes over him, he relaxes the tiniest bit and leans back into his world of blankets. 

“Comfortable?” Lily asks, smoothing over the blankets as he watches Misono settle. 

“Still cold.” 

“Luckily I have brought something for that.”

The hot chocolate that has inexplicably not yet splattered everywhere is still steaming as Lily hands it over. Misono revels in its heat and quickly closes his hands around it - for a second it burns against his icy fingers, then it seeps into his skin and draws a happy sigh from his lips. Lily even put a cookie on the saucer, though the gesture kind of feels redundant considering he also brought the entire cookie jar. Misono still appreciates it. 

He drinks a bit, and it’s as tasty and wonderful as everything that Lily makes for him. It’s sweet on his tongue, with a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg - gingerbread spice, because it’s Christmas and Lily probably still had some left over. Delicious. He can feel his shaking seize with the heat that runs down his throat to spread in his chest. 

“Happy now?” Lily asks. He has gone back to poking at the flames, looking all sorts of soft and warm in the fire’s flickering light. 

Misono shakes his head. 

“Still cold.” 

A smile curls Lily’s lips, as gentle and warm as the flames he stokes.

“It can’t be helped, then. Come on, move over.”

Misono happily obeys. Lily is quick to curl up on the couch with him, and pulls him and his burrito of blankets against his chest once he is done. Misono cuddles against him, careful not to spill his hot chocolate, and is quickly seized and held by strong, warm arms. 

He can live with this, he thinks and drinks some more chocolate. Lily lets a small yawn slip and relaxes against him, and Misono does the same, finally all warmed up and at ease. He can hear nothing but the crackle of the fire and Lily’s soft breathing, the air smells of burnt cedar and sweet chocolate. 

Maybe this whole situation isn’t so bad after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short and sweet. I read the prompt and immediately gave up on writing anything but tooth-rotting, plotless fluff. Good news for anyone who's sick of Lust pair, though, the next to chapters won't have them at all! (i am very sad about it)


	16. December 15th - Christmas Carol

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 15th - Christmas Carol, featuring Hyde and Licht

Even during the most festive time of the year, it is very rare to find Licht with anything but a grim face. So when Hyde walks by the room his Eve is practicing in today, peeking through the crack in the door to maybe get a glimpse of his piano playing expression and its beautiful, hard, determined lines, he finds himself doing a double take. 

Licht looks so  _ soft _ today. He’s not smiling, of course he is not, for Licht to smile it either takes the end of the world or a cute animal. But he looks happy in his own way - Hyde would know, he has memorized every single square centimetre of Licht’s face, and how it moves, and what it means. Today his features are calm and relaxed, his eyes bright and flitting along the lines on his music sheets, his fingers dancing along in a joyful little tune.

Hyde almost stops to ask what has him so happy. But he thinks better of it and continues on his way to the kitchen, not wanting to interrupt something that obviously pleases his angel. 

“Hyde.”

He freezes. 

“Yes, my dearest Evel?” 

“Come here.” 

It is even rarer for Licht to call him to his side, a welcome change from being pushed away any other day, so Hyde is back at the door in a heartbeat. Licht’s melodies have stilled, and he regards his Servamp with a stern glare, though his eyes remain soft and bright. 

“Don’t just stand there, shit rat,” He snarls, and moves to one side of his piano bench. The command is unspoken but clear, and yet Hyde feels his breath hitch - is this what he thinks it is? Is Licht inviting him to sit by his side? 

“Whatever are you planning, snow angel?” He mumbles, already on his way, unwilling to risk this rare chance. 

“I will bring down the Christmas spirit upon your demon soul.”

Oh. Of course. 

He sits obediently, almost falling off the chair, but brushing against Licht ever so lightly whenever either of them moves. For once, he doesn’t feel like complaining. 

“Listen here,” Licht demands. His fingers settle back against the piano keys, and then he plays with such vigour and love that it shuts every thought in Hyde’s head up for a second. 

“I know that one!” He says when Licht pauses and looks at him expectantly (‘play on!’ he wants to beg, ‘give me more of this passion and love’), “it’s Jingle Bells!” 

Licht nods, satisfied. 

“I see not all hope is lost for you.” 

“What, did you think I wouldn’t know any Christmas songs, snow angel?” Hyde asks, forcing a laugh to hide the awe in his voice. 

“You can never know with a demon like you.” 

“Rude!” Hyde pouts at him. “I was there when they were written, you know!” 

“Then tell me which one this is.” 

Once again Licht’s music fills the room like a fire’s gentle warmth. Hyde closes his eyes. He recognizes the melody at once, dark and foreboding as it is. Despite what his sweet Eve thinks he is no stranger to Christmas and its songs. But everything in him refuses to interrupt Licht and his piano, and he only speaks when his Eve’s glare becomes unbearable. 

“It’s the Carol of the Bells,” He says. Licht nods. 

“And this one?” He asks, his hands already weaving a new melody, bright and festive this time. 

“Joy to the World!” 

“And this?” Another song, soothing and sweet and soft. 

“A German one! Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht! Silent Night!” 

“You’re good,” Licht admits, and Hyde swells with pride, though he’d never admit it. “Another one.” 

“It’s Schneeflöckchen, Weißröckchen!” 

Licht doesn’t interrupt his playing this time, instead just cocking his head in agreement, his fingers shifting flawlessly into the next song. This time, Hyde needs a bit longer. It’s a short tune, all too familiar, but still Licht needs to repeat it before he smiles in realization and amusement. 

“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star? That’s not a Christmas song, Licht!” 

“You idiot!” 

He dodges Licht’s sudden kick, laughing even though he mourns the suddenly interrupted melody and also falls off the chair and onto his face in the process. . 

“That’s ‘Morgen kommt der Weihnachtsmann’!” His Eve yells, “what are you talking about?”

“But it’s also ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’, snow angel! And the alphabet song! I can’t help it!” 

“Damn demon,” Licht mutters. He seems to have calmed down as quickly as he blew up, and slowly, carefully, Hyde dares to get up. 

The space on the piano bench is still free. He hesitates, not quite sure whether he’s allowed back in a space Licht would surely consider tainted now, but then his Eve throws him an absolutely poisonous glare that very clearly says ‘don’t waste my time’ and he plops down. 

“If you don’t get the next one right, Santa won’t bring you any presents this year,” Licht says, as though he has it on good authority that this is exactly what Santa said. Hyde is determined to not disappoint him again - not getting Christmas presents would be sad, sure, but he’s also in a weird mood where he wants to avoid fighting and just enjoy and relax. 

Licht starts playing. And Hyde smiles in relief, the melody is as old as it is familiar; a minor key, a little sad, a little dark, and yet full of good wishes and Christmas cheer. He finds himself humming along, even, his foot tapping a slow rhythm, and when Licht finishes, he sighs. 

“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” He says, his voice betraying his fondness. “Too easy, snow angel. That one is so old I remember singing it with my siblings each winter.” 

Licht looks at him. His face has gone all soft again. It’s so beautiful. 

“You can sing?” 

“Well, I don’t know if that’s how I’d put it… I know the words?”

“That’s enough.” Licht nods in rare approval. “Sing along with me.” 

And because he wants that soft look to stay, and to remain where he is seated, brushing up against Licht’s side, Hyde agrees. 

And he’s not  _ good _ , but to Licht, he’s good enough. It has something to do with the Christmas spirit he supposes, for some reason he can’t stop grinning as he sings along to ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’ and ‘Joy to the World’ and ‘Silent Night’. Licht even teaches him how to sing ‘Morgen kommt der Weihnachtsmann’ and all the other German songs he knows, and Hyde hums him festive melodies he learned all over the world, marvelling at how beautiful Licht makes them sound on his piano. 

Eventually, they run out of carols, of course. Licht lets out a wistful sigh and looks at Hyde. 

“You learned a lot today.”

“I sure did! I am so filled with Christmas spirit right now, snow angel. Oh!” Hyde claps his hands, startling his Eve. 

“Can we do ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’? I want to serenade you!” 

“Over my dead body, stupid hedgehog.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you know that Wikipedia has a list of Christmas carols from all over the world, because I have learned in the making of this chapter  
> 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' and the German Christmas song 'Morgen kommt der Weihnachtsmann' do actually have the same melody! It blew my mind when I first learned this. I thought it logical that Licht, from Austria, would know Austrian or German Christmas songs (Silent Night is actually from Austria!), so I gave him some. For the song Hyde recognizes, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", I looked for a Christmas Carol well over 200 years old so it would make sense the Servamp family sang it together once, and since it dates back to the 16th century and is a pretty awesome song, it was the perfect choice.


	17. December 16th - Christmas Market

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 16th - Christmas Market, featuring Tetsu and Hugh

There’s something about seeing Hugh excited that makes Tetsu indescribably happy. 

Which is fortunate, since Hugh gets excited a whole lot. And every time Tetsu will smile, and listen to his ramblings, and then go along with whatever it is his Servamp wants. 

And that’s how he finds himself at a Christmas market today. He’s never been before; the inn is busy around this time of the year, after all. But Hugh found a flyer one of their guests left behind, did some research on the internet and then ran to find Tetsu so excitedly he did everything in his power to carve out some time and take him. 

Right now his Servamp is so excited he is actively bouncing on Tetsu’s shoulders, where he demanded to be sat as the streets became more crowded. His short legs are wildly swinging, hitting against his Eve’s chest every now and then, his little hand grasping his hair tightly. Not that it bothers Tetsu. He likes being able to provide this for Hugh, and he knows his partner appreciates being able to look at people from above rather than from far below. 

“We’re almost there!” Hugh, in charge of the map, announces. 

“That’s wonderful, Hugh,” Tetsu answers and picks up his pace. 

He rounds a corner, and there it is. Hugh makes a sound not unlike a child opening a Christmas present, a noise of absolute delight, his excitement increasing hundredfold. 

Somehow, seeing the world through Hugh’s eyes, knowing how much the sight pleases him, makes it so much more magical to Tetsu as well. 

The park they have wandered into has been packed with little, wooden booths, their roofs still glittering with untouched snow. Tall fir trees stand at its corners, decked in golden ornaments, and garlands of light span across the entire market, spelling out welcoming wishes in giant, glowing letters, and at its center a giant, warmly illuminated… thing that Tetsu decides to inquire about later. The air is buzzing with the joyful chatter of hundreds of visitors, and heavy with the smell of nutmeg and cinnamon. Somewhere there’s a speaker playing Christmas music. Tetsu recognizes the song, it’s been on the radio a lot. Hugh loves it. 

“Tetsu!” His Servamp cries just that moment. “What are you waiting for? Let’s go!” 

“Right!” Tetsu agrees, and off they go. 

He has never been one to be bothered by crowds. One of the best things about being tall is how easily they part for him, and it is no different now. He moves around the Christmas market without effort, wherever it is Hugh directs him to with excited pointing and yelling, and along the way he admires all the fascinating stuff the booths have to offer. 

It is a lot to take in. Wherever he looks he finds beautiful, colourful ornaments, and snowglobes, and all sorts of pretty, handmade crafts. Some of them would certainly bring in a few more visitors to the inn, he finds himself thinking. Maybe his family will appreciate being gifted some pretty ornaments for Christmas. 

Hugh on his shoulders sighs happily. 

“This reminds me of Europe,” He says, before bouncing excitedly. 

“Tetsu! We have to find a gingerbread stall!”

So that’s what they do. Tetsu buys them two pieces of the finest gingerbread (as Hugh calls it). They are huge. If he managed to stack four on top of each other vertically, he muses, they’d be just as tall as Hugh. 

In the center of the square, just by the giant thing Tetsu saw earlier, they find a quiet corner to eat their gingerbread in peace. Hugh climbs down from his Eve’s shoulders, preferring to sit tucked into one of his arms while they eat. It’s better to eat in company, he always says, maybe that’s why. 

He looks extremely happy with life. As he takes a bite of his gingerbread a huge smile spreads all over his face and he squirms in joy, secure in the knowledge that Tetsu would never drop him. 

“This is excellent gingerbread!” He exclaims. “Try it, Tetsu, try! You will love it!” 

Tetsu obeys. The gingerbread is firm yet fluffy, rich and full of flavour. The chocolate coating is so thick he can hear it break beneath his teeth, and tastes like the slightest hint of bitter, blending seamlessly with the sweetness of the cake underneath. 

“It’s delicious,” He says earnestly and takes another bite. 

“It is!” Hugh squeals and goes into a long ramble about the gingerbread’s greatest qualities. Then he insists they go and do some shopping. 

“Hugh?” Tetsu asks as they leave their quiet corner and his Servamp has taken his throne on his shoulders again. “What’s this?”

He points at the giant thing he has been curious about since they got here. It’s six or seven times his size at least, and now, up close he can tell it’s some sort of carousel, with multiple stories, each containing beautifully painted, colourful wooden figures, slowly spinning with the big rotor on top. Hugh grips his hair a little tighter and Tetsu swears he can feel his eyes lighting up. 

“It’s a Christmas pyramid!” He says. “They’re from Europe! And it is astounding to come across one this tall! They’re normally rather small, you see. You put candles at the bottom, and then the rotor on top spins.” 

He sighs wistfully. 

“It’s been quite long since I’ve seen one.” 

“I see,” Tetsu says, already on his way to one particular stall he remembers passing by. 

When they leave the Christmas market hours later, bellies filled with sausages and Christmas cookies and hot chocolate and packed with presents for everyone Tetsu could think of, Hugh carries a single cardboard box, a very proud look on his face. 

“I want this put up in my room immediately!” He demands, “we have to buy candles on our way home, Tetsu!” 

“Of course,” Tetsu says. “I can’t wait to see it spin, Hugh.” 

Hugh laughs with joy, clutching his newly acquired Christmas pyramid a little closer, and Tetsu finds himself smiling as well. 

What makes Hugh happy, makes him happy too. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short one! I am still not super confident about writing Pride pair, but I was quite happy with this and I feel making it any longer would not have done the quality much good.  
> (In my perfect world these two are happy and together and having fun and no, I refuse to accept anything else)
> 
> Finding out that Christmas markets are a thing in Tokyo made me so happy I can barely put it in words! I love Christmas markets so much, and not being able to go to one this year, understandable and right as banning them is, makes me incredibly sad. The market I used for reference in this story is the Tokyo Christmas Market in Hibiya Park, though since it is inspired by German Christmas markets a lot of my personal Christmas market experiences have gone into this, too. They even have that 14 metre Christmas pyramid there! God I love Christmas pyramids.  
> Honestly, I want to send every Servamp/Eve pair to the Christmas market. I think they'd have fun.
> 
> Huge shoutout to pomfry!! She writes the absolute best Pride Pair fanfictions in this fandom.


	18. December 17th - Wrapping Presents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 17th - Wrapping Presents, featuring Misono and Lily

There’s something very freeing about hanging out in Lily’s room. Maybe it is because it is so different from the rest of the house, an orderly mess of centuries worth of memorabilia with seasonal decorations on top instead of the carefully manicured neatness in every other room. Maybe it is because nobody is ever permitted to enter, except for Lily and the people he trusts most and graciously allows inside. It’s a space without rules, where Misono can sit on the floor instead of anywhere one would be supposed to sit, and have as many sweets as he wants, and ask stupid questions; and a space full of secrets, just for the two of them. 

Thus, a perfect place to learn how to wrap Christmas gifts without using an entire roll of sticky paper each.

“It’s very sweet of you to help me with the Christmas gifts this year,” Lily tells him as he spreads Christmas themed paper and his collection of fancy gift wrapping accessories all over the floor. He has a desk, of course, but it’s littered with remnants of his latest craft project, and he claims there’s more space on the floor anyways. “Didn’t you want to leave it to Santa?” 

“Those idiots never send him a list, so how would he know what they want?” Misono answers, dragging a bag to where they have set up their little gift wrapping station. “And besides, they aren’t even aware how much they need some of this stuff. Sendagaya would have never gotten that step ladder on his own.” He pauses. “Can we even wrap that?”

“We can put a pretty bow on top,” Lily suggests, holding up a box of the biggest bows Misono has ever seen. “But show me, what else did we get?” 

Of course Lily was present when most of the gifts were bought. He knows exactly what’s in that bag. He just takes pleasure in looking at things to be gifted and fantasizing about how they’ll make people happy, and because Misono feels much the same, he obeys. 

“We have the step ladder for Sendagaya,” He begins, pointing to the door where he left the thing, not yet in the mood to drag it over. “And a new cape for Hugh. Those super rare music sheets for Licht that Hyde told us to find, and the hedgehog onesie Licht told us Hyde would look funny in.” 

“I am so excited for those pictures,” Lily comments and Misono bites back laughter as he puts the hedgehog onesie onto the neat pile of presents he has begun to build. 

“We have a new car stereo for Dodo, concert tickets for Mitsuki,” He continues. “And… a hand vacuum for Shirota… and movie tickets and a restaurant voucher for Kuro… are you sure about this one?” 

“Absolutely. It’s for taking Mahiru out on a date.” 

Misono raises an eyebrow at him. 

“Come on,” Lily says. “it’s very obvious, don’t you think? We’re just helping along.” 

Misono cocks his head in thought, eyeing the card they’ve stuffed the vouchers into once more. The restaurant they’ve chosen is nice but not black-tie-and-evening-gown nice, and not too far away from where Mahiru lives. He’s been there with Lily, once or twice, and he supposes it could make for a good dating spot. 

“If you say so,” He finally says. “You  _ are _ called ‘All of Love’ so I’ll just trust you and sign the card.” 

“Thank you!” Lily chirps. “I talked to Hugh. He agreed.” 

“If we’re getting laughed at it’s your fault.”

“I can live with that.” 

Misono puts the card down onto the pile, and for a moment, they look at it proudly. 

“Now wrap them,” Misono demands, and Lily laughs. 

“How about this, I wrap them, and you’re in charge of applying the sticky tape?” 

So that’s what they do. Lily is quite skilled at wrapping gifts, Misono notes; somehow the paper always yields to his commands, comes out just the length he needs, stays flat when he smoothes it over. He shows his Eve how to make them prettier, too; how to fold the paper to show off its other side, how to tie satin into beautiful bows and make cute little tags out of cardboard and stickers; and Misono dutifully sticks sticky tape wherever Lily points. 

He tries remembering everything he is explained. After all, he has one last present tucked away safely in his room, and he wants it to look as pretty as possible when he can finally give it to Lily. 

It doesn’t take long and they’re sitting in front of a pile of beautifully wrapped presents, sharing the last pieces of candy from the bowl that Lily provided. Misono yawns, and lets his head rest on Lily’s shoulder, and Lily chuckles and gives a quiet “aw”. 

“You know,” Misono mumbles, doing his best to sound innocuous. “You wrap presents just like Santa does.” 

He revels in the small moment of tension in Lily’s shoulders. 

“Is that so?” His vampire asks, “maybe he was the one to teach me! Who knows!” 

A good save, Misono thinks. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was originally supposed to be longer. It was one of those that I saw and thought "oh, no problem, I can write this the evening of posting and do other things now". Turns out the evening of posting I instead decided to hurt my foot and be too distracted by ouch to do anything and that's why it's late and cut short. I'm very sorry!


	19. December 18th - Ugly Sweaters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 18th - Ugly Sweaters, featuring Izuna and Freya

“Freya,” Izuna yells. “I need you for an experiment!” 

Freya smiles a fond little smile. 

“Coming!” She calls back, just loud enough for her voice to carry, and Izuna squeals excitedly and scampers back into the living room. 

It is far from the first experiment she is called to participate in, probably much closer to the hundredth. Izuna calls everything an experiment; it is one of the many things she does to make their shared life a little more thrilling each day, to fill it with adventure and excitement. To try a new smoothie, to test a new snapchat filter, to film Freya transforming to a wolf and back with the slow motion camera she borrowed, it is all an experiment. 

And Freya loves this. Izuna is filled to the brim with curiosity, she wants to try everything and more, to experience it all. It makes her so endlessly charming.

Their last shared experiment was putting up Christmas decorations in the little flat they share, she remembers fondly as she makes her way out of their bedroom and to the living room, where her Eve is waiting. ‘It’s to test how the mood changes!’ She had said, ‘My hypothesis is that it’ll be much cozier when we put up string lights and a Christmas tree! Let’s test it!’

And they had done that, and she had been right. 

“Here I am!” Freya announces as she enters the living room. Izuna stands by the table, freshly ripped open package right next to her, beaming in anticipation. 

“Come here!” She says, and Freya obeys and comes closer, trying to peer into the package and find out what she’s dealing with. 

“Nu-uh! No peeking!” 

So she stops and looks at Izuna’s bright smile instead. The sight is prettier anyways. 

“What are you planning?” She asks. 

“I’m going to test a hypothesis!” Izuna explains. “Close your eyes!” 

Freya closes her eyes. She hears Izuna rustle around in the package and giggle to herself. 

“And now put your hands up!” 

She does that as well. 

The next second she finds herself caught in a big, woollen… thing that Izuna pulled over her head. She expected something like that and still she sputters, making her partner laugh as she tries pulling Freya’s hand through equally woollen sleeves. 

“Hold still!” She says as her hands close around Freya’s, “I got you! Here, I’ll free you!” 

It takes a few more seconds of struggling and laughing and then Freya's head pops out on top and her arms are properly fitted into the sleeves. Izuna sorts her now very messy hair, still giggling to herself, and then she is allowed to open her eyes and look at the big, green… thing that Izuna has wrapped her up in. 

“A Christmas sweater!” She says. 

“Not just any Christmas sweater!” Izuna corrects her. “An  _ ugly _ Christmas sweater!” 

Freya frowns as she looks closer. 

“Do you think it’s ugly?” 

“Absolutely! That’s the point! It’s bad taste incarnate! Look, it has little Santas with sunglasses on it!” 

It really does. Freya traces one with her fingers. 

“I find them cute.” 

“Yes, because you’re a sweetheart,” Izuna tells her and laughs. “It’s not a bad thing that it’s ugly, Freya! I bought it specifically because it’s ugly! You see…” 

She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, suddenly a bit more somber, yet still smiling and happy. 

“Back at C3, they had yearly Christmas parties. And someone must have suggested turning them into ugly sweater parties at some point, because it was a tradition to come in the ugliest sweater imaginable, and then there would be a vote to determine the winner, and they’d win a free pizza. It’s the only competition Loki ever won… not that he wanted to…” 

“You should get him one of these ugly sweaters too and invite him over,” Freya suggests. “You seem to miss these ugly sweater parties.” 

“Oh! That’s the plan!” Izuna informs her and laughs again, patting her package. “There’s two more of those in there! You have to promise me to vote for him, though, we have to keep the tradition alive.” 

“I promise,” Freya says and Izuna nods proudly. 

“Good,” She says. “There’ll be apple pie! To buy your vote. And to reward you for proving my hypothesis! In fact, I’ll make some right now!” 

“What was your hypothesis?” Freya asks, because Izuna is about to bounce off again, always eager to be busy and create, and she, too, is curious and would like to know before her wonderful Eve immerses herself in an entirely new task. 

Izuna whirls around, cups her cheek, and smiles her most adorable smile. 

“That not even the ugliest sweater could ever mar your beauty!” She says. “Turns out, I was right!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the girls.   
> I don't have a lot to say here. These two are lovely and deserve to be silly and fool around. I can thank Hinata and Kat for awakening my love for them.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and thank you very much for reading! 
> 
> This calendar will feature oneshots with winter and Christmas themed prompts, and though not every character made it, I hope everyone who reads this will find at least one with their favourites. They take place somewhere around canon time, in the same mystical realm as the drama CDs. 
> 
> A lot of the characters and combinations of characters I have written for this compilation are outside of my comfort zone, and I owe it to several wonderful artists and writers within the fandom that I found the motivation to work with them at all. Certain chapters will be dedicated to them because I love them lots.
> 
> (Most of the chapters will still be lust pair-centric, though, because they’re the best and they make me happy)
> 
> If you want to leave a comment, it'd mean the world to me!


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